What is the Graduate Engineer Scheme?
The FairHeat Graduate Scheme was created in 2016 to address a clear industry need: developing highly skilled engineers who understand the full lifecycle of heat networks and can help drive performance, quality and decarbonisation across the sector. Founded by FairHeat’s senior leadership team, the scheme reflects our long-standing commitment to investing in people, building future capability, and creating meaningful career pathways within the heat network industry.
FairHeat was the first organisation to actively bring chemical engineers into the heat network sector, championing both awareness and upskilling of engineering talent at a time when the industry was rapidly evolving. Today, that commitment continues through a structured, supportive and ambitious graduate programme that sits at the heart of our growth strategy. By 2026, around 35% of FairHeat’s workforce are graduate engineers, and the scheme continues to expand year on year. Over the years, the programme intake has grown from just two graduates in 2016 to 26 graduates in 2025, an increase of more than twelvefold. This steady growth reflects both the success of the scheme in attracting motivated engineers and FairHeat’s investment in building long-term industry capability.
The Graduate Engineer Scheme is now a cornerstone of FairHeat’s business, ensuring a strong pipeline of technically excellent professionals who will help shape the future of both the company and the wider heat network sector.
FairHeat’s Graduate Scheme is widely recognised as a leading programme for early-career engineers. It has been awarded CIBSE Young Engineers Award – Employer of the Year in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and shortlisted every year from 2023 to 2025, reflecting its consistency, quality and impact.
The Programme
A structured, two-year journey
The Graduate Engineer Scheme is a two-year structured programme designed to provide broad technical exposure, professional development and real responsibility. Programme structure includes:
- Two-week induction introducing FairHeat, the industry, core technical principles and ways of working
- 2-year graduate programme with typically 3–4 departmental rotations, which may include:
- District Heating (DH)
- Quality Assurance (QA)
- Operations & Optimisation
- Building Systems Design (BSD)
- Asset Management (AM)
- Monthly graduate training sessions, ranging from short technical sessions to half-day workshops
- A dedicated buddy scheme, with regular catch-ups (weekly at the start) and a consistent point of contact
- Two graduate projects completed during the scheme, presented back to the company — with opportunities to showcase work at internal technical or graduate symposiums
- Quarterly graduate socials, supporting peer connection and wellbeing
- A mix of office-based and on-site experience, depending on rotation and project needs
- Available to all employees:
- Monthly external CPD training (minimum 1 hour per month)
- Weekly lunch-and-learn sessions, featuring internal and external speakers
- Active diversity and inclusion groups including Women in Construction (WiC) and FairREACH, supporting an inclusive and supportive workplace culture
Features of the Scheme
Graduates gain hands-on experience across both office-based and on-site work, contributing to real projects from early in the scheme. Projects span a wide range of clients, sectors and scales, and cover all stages of a heat network, from concept and design through commissioning, operation and optimisation.
FairHeat offers unmatched access to knowledge, drawing on the breadth and depth of expertise across the organisation. Graduates work alongside engineers who are shaping industry best practice, guidance and standards, gaining exposure to technical excellence across the full heat network lifecycle.
The scheme supports the development of both technical and professional skills, including problem-solving, communication, stakeholder engagement and presentation, equipping graduates to progress confidently in their careers.
Graduates benefit from a combination of internal and external training, tailored to both individual development goals and industry requirements. FairHeat actively encourages and supports chartership, providing guidance, mentoring and practical experience throughout the process.
FairHeat’s Graduate Scheme is widely recognised as a leading programme for early-career engineers. It has been awarded CIBSE Young Engineers Award Employer of the Year in 2019, 2021 and 2022, and shortlisted every year from 2023 to 2025a FairHeat actively supports graduate engineers to engage with the wider industry. Our engineers are not only members of key networks, but often sit on committees and working groups shaping policy, standards and best practice.
Graduate engineers have contributed to:
- Industry committees such as the BESA HIU Technical Committee
- Technical author groups, including work supporting the UK’s first Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme (HNTAS)
- External mentoring programmes, ensuring knowledge transfer and upskilling across the sector, reflecting its consistency, quality and impact.
Accomplishments & Recognition
The success of the Graduate Engineer Scheme is reflected not only in its growth, but in the achievements of its graduates. FairHeat graduates are consistently recognised across the industry for their technical excellence, leadership and contribution to best practice.
Graduate Scheme Hall of Fame
Celebrating the achievements of FairHeat graduates who have gone on to gain national recognition:
Blogs and technical articles
Research and thought leadership
Conference presentations and industry events
Ready to apply?
If you’re an ambitious engineering graduate with a passion for sustainable energy and decarbonisation, we’d love to hear from you.