Communications engineer : Career development

Throughout your career, you will be required to add to your expertise through in-service training and/or further study for a higher degree. As your career progresses, you will take on a more senior role, with greater responsibility for other staff and/or larger projects and budgets.

To progress in the profession, it is becoming increasingly important to achieve professional status as a chartered engineer (CEng). The Engineering Council UK (ECUK) , in collaboration with the main engineering institutions, has introduced regulations known as the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC) . These affect all graduates aspiring to achieve CEng status. For further information, see the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) .

Once you are an accredited CEng, you will be eligible to apply for European Engineer (Eur Ing) status, which provides Europe-wide recognition. This, along with language skills, is a great advantage in the increasingly global marketplace in which engineers operate.

Engineers with professional status are likely to pursue roles at a more senior level. If you do not want to be involved in management, you can develop your technical knowledge and become a specialist, start your own company, get involved in training or work as a contractor/consultant.