2026 Building Services Summer Placement

Summer Placement – Building Services Trainee

Our Summer placement programme is designed for the brightest and most ambitious undergraduates. You will benefit from the opportunity to enhance your academic studies with an engaging series of paid work placements that will give you a head start as you enter the world of work. 

Laing O'Rourke offers undergraduate's placements to those students studying an construction related degree. 

Our summer placement programme offers undergraduates a 6-12 week placement for those who are passionate about achieving their career ambitions in the built environment. Perform well enough and you may get the chance to join our Graduate Development Programme.  

Your summer placement will give you an insight into our world-class project-based business. You will get hands-on experience of working on one of our construction sites, along with structured training, group activities, guidance and support which will aid you with your university education.  

We understand that flexibility is important to you and therefore we've designed the programme to fit with your summer plans. A core six-week programme has been designed for you to get the most value from the summer placement and we ask that you are available for the duration to complete your six learning sessions. These sessions will complement your practical experience on site.  You will be given the dates within the recruitment process.

Role Overview

A Building Services Engineer Trainee assists in the engineering and management of mechanical, electrical, and public health (MEP) installations throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. They sit within the MEICA (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation) Technical Function of the business.

For successful candidates, initial experience will be obtained across the MEP disciplines before focusing on either mechanical, electrical, or public health engineering in line with their existing qualifications.

The Building Services Engineer Trainee help to ensure technical excellence and the safe and effective delivery of projects through design, procurement, technical appraisal, installation, commissioning, and handover stages.

Off-site manufacturing solutions, Digital Engineering methods and sustainable technologies are at the forefront of how we deliver projects and trainee Building Services Engineers are key to help drive this for MEP works.

Locations we are recruiting for:

As a project-led business, the location of our work can vary depending on project needs. This role may require you to be prepared to relocate to project sites across the UK.

Degree Subjects We Are Looking For

Building Services Engineering, Architectural Engineering or similar

Career Progression

Students who complete a successful Summer placement will be automatically put forward for our Graduate Development Programme. This means you will not need to apply nor go through the assessment centre process.  

Entry Requirements

You will need to meet the following criteria:  

• You must be eligible to work in the UK without restrictions with a valid work permit, if applicable. 
• You will be required to travel and possibly relocate for your rotational placements. 
• You must be on target to achieve a 2:2 degree classification. 
• You must be currently studying an accredited degree in your specific field. 
  
  

Our Application Process

We Are Committed To Providing a Clear And Supportive Recruitment Journey. Here Is What You Can Expect When Applying For One Of Our Placement Opportunities

• CV Submission Submit your CV for review. We will assess your application against the entry criteria for the role you are applying for.
• Online Assessment You will complete a series of assessments designed to understand how you approach workplace situations, your preferred ways of working, as well as exercises to evaluate your critical thinking and numerical reasoning skills.

Video Interview At this stage, you will be invited to record responses to two questions set by our hiring team. You will have sufficient time to prepare and ensure you present yourself confidently.

Teams Interview Our placement interviews are held via Microsoft Teams which provide you an opportunity to meet the hiring team and for you to demonstrate your skills through a combination of questions.

Outcome We aim to provide feedback and communicate the outcome of your interview within two weeks.

Accessibility and Support

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all candidates. If you require any adjustments or support with your application, or at any stage of the process, please do not hesitate to contact us earlytalent@laingorourke.com

** The Industrial Programme will commence in 2026 and is only available in the UK**