Our MEP graduate training programme offers the range and depth of experience every graduate needs to become a professionally registered engineer. Unlike many graduate employers, we get you actively involved across a wide variety of specialisms, with opportunities to work directly with clients. Everything is designed for your success, with one-to-one support at every step.
Focused on you
Our programme, accredited by the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is designed to give you the best possible start to your engineering career. You’ll have a dedicated CIBSE mentor to guide and support you, and make sure you get the combination of structured learning and on-the-job training you need.
The CIBSE looks for three kinds of expertise: technical, managerial and self-development. To help you to excel in all three areas we run weekly seminars and provide you with access to a wealth of external events.
Hands-on experience
You’ll get to work side-by-side with a variety of different managers, including specialists recognised as experts in their fields. This multi-disciplinary diversity makes us different, and means that we never need to send graduates on secondment to get the experience they need. Also, because we’re independent, clients come directly to us, so there’ll be opportunities to work closely with clients too.
Most of our graduates are ready to go for their CIBSE review in around five years. You can apply for a graduate role at Hollis between 01 September and 31 December each year.
I’ve been given opportunities to work on complex projects and design intricate heating and cooling systems. I especially enjoy working with our ESG team to provide sustainable systems and seeing the transformation we can make to a building’s environmental impact.
In the final year of your BEng or MEng degree in either Building Services Engineering or Mechanical Engineering, between 1 September and 31 December. We hold interviews in January.
We can only consider your application if you’ve completed or are in the final year of a building services engineering or mechanical engineering qualification.
We’re looking for commercial awareness, excellent communication skills and an eagerness to learn quickly, but your potential is the most important attribute.
It helps if you have some work experience, paid or voluntary, and ideally property related. Life experience is important too – so if you’ve done something interesting or have a particular interest do let us know.
We do everything that you’d expect building services engineers to do – whether it be working alongside our design engineers on project work or our multi skilled engineers carrying out condition surveys and dilapidations studies – there’s never any problem getting the range and quality of experience that you’ll need for your CIBSE registration.
It’s likely to be a straightforward and relaxed chat with one of the partners, and one other colleague. We’re mainly interested in getting to know more about you, and giving you the chance to find out more about us. We may ask you to give a short presentation and we might throw in the odd technical question but we really just want to see how you think.
Your visit may include meeting a few other members of our team. We base our decision on this one visit and aim to let you know the outcome in one week. If you have an interview coming up, you may want to see our interview tips video.
We do have some placement positions, which vary in location from year to year, but our main focus is on recruiting graduates and providing the highest quality training for our permanent team-members.
Inevitably some trainees leave, for example to go to client-side roles, but we aim never to lose people for lack of opportunity. With such a friendly, varied and rewarding working environment, a high proportion of our people choose to stay with us.
You can begin as soon as your course has finished or take the summer off. Either way you’ll be invited to our summer training day (which can involve anything from driving a tank to clay pigeon shooting or sailing) so you can start getting to know everybody.
Once you’ve spent the first week or so getting to know our systems you’ll be able to begin surveying work straight away. We’ll guide you through projects that could involve anything from putting together a schedule of dilapidations, project design work, undertaking a building survey report or assisting with maintenance led work. This would also include attending site meetings with our clients or contractors.
Most of our graduates are ready to sit the CIBSE review in around five years. If you’ve already started the process then it may take slightly less time.
Giving you the right mix of experience is a responsibility we take very seriously. One of our partners will monitor your learning and experience, and you’ll have regular meetings with your dedicated CIBSE mentor and supervisor to make sure you get the experience and training you need to be your best.
Many of our surveyors choose to study for further qualifications once they’re qualified. If there’s a good opportunity for your personal development or a benefit for the business then we’ll consider either part or fully funding the course.
We have an active social club and activities throughout the year, ranging from a comedy club trip to a sporting or charity event. There’s also a wealth of informal activities at our offices, including running at lunchtime, 5-a-side football, climbing, softball and of course a few drinks after work.
We offer excellent prospects, and a large number of our previous graduates are now in senior positions. There are no time limits for reaching associate or partner level: we promote on ability rather than age.
Yes — whether for a project lasting only a few days, or for a long term secondment. We welcome applicants with language skills and we aim to promote international collaboration, for example by seconding our people to go abroad or recruiting European nationals to train with us in the UK before starting at our European offices.
