Engineering & Technical Jobs | Jobs & Careers

The engineering sector in the UK is enormous. Currently, there are approximately 800,000 engineers gainfully employed in the UK. According to the Engineering Council, qualified engineers generally enjoy higher salaries than comparable professionals in other sectors such as accountants and solicitors. Salaries for fresh graduate trainee engineers are in the region of 22,500.

Employment Opportunities in the Engineering Industry
The UK is seeing a resurgence in the demand for engineering skills. Graduates in chemical engineering are particularly in high demand, commanding some of the best salaries. Chemical Engineers are versatile and can generally find employment in many areas including industrial process development, food and drink, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and extraction industries. Chemical or Environmental Engineers also contribute to helping solve some of the world's concerns around environmental issues. They carry out work in energy production, finding solutions to climate change, alternative energy sources, innovative recycling methods, the development of sustainable technologies and the safe transportation of hazardous substances. The demand for renewable power and alternative energy will provide considerable employment opportunities for many engineering graduates.

Besides the environment, engineers are much in demand in other areas including transport, energy, health, defence, manufacturing and building. Engineers are needed to work in the all-important British oil industry to exploit oil wells off the British coast as well as around the world. Engineers who work in the oil industry include petroleum engineers, well site geologists, mud loggers, wire line loggers and drilling engineers.

The aerospace and aviation industry offers many employment opportunities starting at different levels to engineers across the country. This includes apprenticeships and graduate training programmes designed for new graduates.

In the UK defence industry, engineers from all disciplines work to design and produce civil and military aircraft, satellites, rockets and missiles, navigation and electronic guidance systems. There are hundreds of small and medium-sized firms that supply these products to the Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces as well as commercial airlines. These companies require a constant supply of engineers including aeronautical, structural, electronic and mechanical engineers.

Engineers make a significant contribution to the telecommunications industry. Employers include cable companies, mobile operators, internet service providers, as well as technical companies that develop equipment and technology for the communications infrastructure.

Civil and Structural Engineering jobs abound in the health, education and transport industries. As there is enormous pressure on government to greatly improve these public services, there are good recruitment prospects for both new and experienced There is similar good news to be gained for electrical engineers -- as long as the construction, transport, utilities and communication sectors remain buoyant, there will be plenty of job vacancies.

Primary Types of Engineering and Typical Engineering Job Roles
Chemical engineering
Civil engineering
Electrical engineering
Industrial engineering
Mechanical engineering
Aeronautical engineering
Agricultural engineering
Engineering physics,
Geological engineering
Naval architecture and Marine engineering
Nuclear engineering.

Here are just some examples of the huge variety of job roles available in the engineering world:
Aeronautical Engineer
Automotive Engineer
Biomedical Engineer
Chemical Development Engineer
Civil Engineer
Communications Engineer
Electrical Engineer
Electronics Engineer
Materials Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Naval Architect

Where To Look For Engineering Jobs

Careers Fairs
Attending a careers fair can be an efficient way of finding out about prospective employers in the engineering sector. Many large engineering companies take part in fairs on campus. These 'milk rounds' offer the opportunity to sell yourself to representatives face-to-face and can provide an opportunity to make contacts for the future.

Recruitment Literature and Trade Publications
There are numerous publications advertising vacancies in the engineering sector every year. Ask your local library or any careers advisory service to give you a list of these publications. Look through the jobs section and if appropriate, you can send speculative applications or apply directly to those companies that are offering career opportunities in your area of engineering. Here are some useful publications, some are weekly while others are published quarterly or annually.

Automotive Engineer
The Engineer
Engineering Opportunities
Environmental Engineering
GET Engineering
Inside Careers: Engineering & Technology
New Civil Engineer
Process Engineering
Professional Engineering
TARGET Civil and Structural Engineering,
TARGET Construction & Building Services
TARGET Engineering

Professional bodies, Trade associations and other useful websites
Depending on the area of engineering you are interested in, the websites below will be able to provide help and advice on finding employment:

Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE)
www.acenet.co.uk

Engineering Council UK (ECUK)
www.engc.org.uk

Engineering Employers' Federation (EEF)
www.eef.org.uk

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
www.epsrc.ac.uk

Engineering and Technology Board
www.etechb.co.uk

Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE)
cms.icheme.org

Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)
www.ice.org.uk

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
www.theiet.org

Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
www.imeche.org

Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE)
www.istructe.org

Royal Academy of Engineering
www.raeng.org.uk/

SEMTA: the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
www.semta.org.uk

It is also possible to find employment through using the services of specialist online recruitment agencies as well as their land-based counterparts. Alternatively, you can look through advertisements in the national newspapers such as The Guardian.

What Engineering Employers Expect
Apart from a strong academic record and relevant qualifications, the engineering sector generally looks for team players who can solve problems and are good communicators. They also want their employees to be commercially-minded -- they want innovative engineers but not those who may produce ideas that are too expensive to be marketed. Before you start on an application, it is worthwhile studying the list of competencies and qualifications the company is looking for. These are usually available on their website. Lastly, be prepared to take aptitude tests as part of the application and interview process.

Career development for Engineers
Finally, it is important to realise that your career as an engineer can develop in many different ways. A fresh graduate may start working in a technical capacity but eventually move into a management role. He or she may oversee a facility such as manufacturing or be responsible for the successful management of a client's project. In addition to your technical knowledge, you will need, at some point, to develop people management skills as well as budgetary and financial skills. To gain the professional qualification of chartered engineer (CEng) or incorporated engineer (IEng) is the next step for graduate engineers. These qualifications prove that engineers have reached an important milestone in their career -- they have achieved a benchmark level of competence and show a commitment to continuing professional development. Alternatively, your career could take an altogether different route. This could involve product marketing, taking on a procurement or buyers' role, or even working in HR, hiring or training new technical staff.