IF you’re an undergraduate and still under the impression that engineering involves trudging around muddy building sites wearing a hard hat and a neon jacket, I think I may have a bridge to sell you. The truth is that the term ‘engineering’ covers a whole industry which itself is so large that by some measures it contributes around a fifth of the UK economy.
If you’re an undergraduate and still under the impression that engineering involves trudging around muddy building sites wearing a hard hat and a neon jacket, I think I may have a bridge to sell you. The truth is that the term ‘engineering’ covers a whole industry which itself is so large that by some measures it contributes around a fifth of the UK economy.
The engineering services sector was worth $711 billion globally in 2017 according to experts on the sector, and that figure is set to rise to beyond a trillion dollars within the next ten years. One commentator pointed out that if the industry’s size was compared to the GDP of nation-states, the engineering sector would be placed amongst the 20 richest countries in the world.
The choice of roles available within such a large industry is guaranteed to be enormous. Of course, there are engineers who spend the majority of their time on sites with a hard hat, neon jacket and clipboard. But there’s also a myriad of other roles in the sector, from design and project management to testing newly completed work, all of which offer job satisfaction.
After all, as an engineer you’re part of the problem solving and labour which goes into the finished product, whatever your role. So if you can stand back and admire what you’ve put all that work into, how could there not be job satisfaction?
A guaranteed range of roles available to you could, admittedly, make things a little tricky when you have to start navigating around to find your first role. With a subject and career path which is by its very nature technically challenging, finding a route from undergraduate to your first engineering role and having the right skills for that role is no easy task.
We decided to pick out some of the roles we thought could be most interesting for those planning for further study in engineering, and we’ve explained them below to help:
NDT Technicians examine the very nuts, bolts and materials which make up anything from our greatest contemporary engineering feats and triumphs, to the bridges and tracks which get you to work every day.
Employment prospects are good because you can fit into engineering firms across a large range of specialisms – companies focusing on space and aerospace technology to oil and gas technology all require NDTs.
The National Science Foundation agrees, “NDT methods are used to make sure that important parts in aeroplanes, trains and automobiles are free of defects that could lead to an accident…As a career field, Non-Destructive Testing offers many opportunities, and there is a big demand for technicians and engineers trained in NDT.”
Having such a widely-applicable skillset also means that you would have the opportunity to travel as part of your work. But the important thing is to build a skillset with quality teaching at a quality institution to help you take those opportunities.
The University of Wales Trinity St David offers a specialist MSc in Non-Destructive Testing and Evaluation and the university’s course is partnered with The Welding Institute, which is one of the largest research organisations in the UK of its kind.
In any industry, the most senior staff are not only highly trained in their chosen technical area, but also excellent leaders amongst their colleagues.
If you’re willing to take on the challenge of leadership at work to enhance your career prospects as an engineer, consider taking a postgraduate route which will help you to build up training and experience in leadership, which could lead to a career in project management.
The key in identifying an excellent course in engineering project management lies in making sure that the breadth of the experience and technical challenges featured in the course match the breadth of challenges you’ll face in industry project management.
Mark Lambart, who studied at the University of Wales Trinity St David on the MSc Engineering and Project Management course, says that the course he completed set him up well for his career by building his confidence and ultimately led him to becoming a solid leader, “At a leadership level it’s allowed me to feel confident in my environment, and talk with confidence around moving my business forward at a senior leadership level.”
Due to the fact that you have decided to take on the challenge of leading other engineers, the financial benefits for that extra responsibility are attractive, and project managers in the engineering industry can earn upwards of £35,000.
By dedicating your postgraduate study to an MSc in Lean & Agile Manufacturing you’ll be building the skills necessary to work in industrial engineering overseeing manufacturing processes of all scales. A good course will echo current industrial demand and incorporate the design of products and processes for the whole manufacturing process, whatever the product.
One course which is designed with the real world manufacturing sector in mind is the MSc Lean & Agile Manufacturing at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, which former students such as Chris Cook recommend, “The course was highly attuned to the professional manufacturing standards many companies aspire to achieve.”
One important aspect of this particular course is the partial focus on reducing environmental impact, by giving students the knowledge they need to appreciate how their work could affect the environment their manufacturing solutions might have.
Completing a postgraduate course in this area of engineering will set you up to take on roles in production management, materials management and production planning.
Whatever your decision, making the right choice for your career when choosing where to study is crucial – visit the website for the University of Wales Trinity Saint David's Faculty of Architecture, Computing and Engineering here.
This editorial was sponsored by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. To find out more about their courses take a look at their profile.
