BSRIA test technician Calvin Odoi gave a presentation at Leeds College of Building as part of its careers month on 10 May.

His presentation covered details about BSRIA, his role and career path to date while also outlining opportunities available in the engineering industry.

Calvin outlined the work of BSRIA’s test department which covered standard, accredited and bespoke testing for projects; research, troubleshooting, witness and on-site testing and product development.

In addition, he explained his career path to BSRIA: “I started my apprenticeship at BSRIA in July 2013 and joined the Test Department where I have been involved with testing a variety of products associated with the building services and construction industry for performance verification purposes.”

He continued: “As part of my apprenticeship I enrolled at Reading College and completed a National Diploma in Electrical & Electronic Engineering. I have recently completed my NVQ Level 3 in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and have also participated in a year-long internal BSRIA training course called the ‘people program’, designed to develop presentation, decision making and problem solving skills.”

Marc Townsend of Leeds College of Building said: “Calvin’s presentation proved inspiring as well as enlightening to our students who are all looking forward to progressing into higher education and a career in a professional role within the industry.”

Calvin’s work fits in with BSRIA’s INSPIRE project running throughout 2016 which includes a series of events to inspire and engage the workforce of tomorrow with what the construction industry has to offer. INSPIRE is based around the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects.