Features: Green engineering

Since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 2005, industrialised nations have been forced to rethink their position on global warming. The technological challenge of cleaner energy production is one that could benefit engineering graduates.

‘Graduates have open minds and state of the art knowledge,’ explains Robert Beahan, of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). ‘Skilled engineers are in short supply, and the scale of work being done is increasing ten or a hundred fold. The development of new technologies is drawing in some exceptional people.’

Engineering companies are also looking for ways to ‘clean up’ existing industry, rather than simply replacing it. Carbon capture, an innovative, but largely undeveloped system, involves the removal of carbon dioxide from dangerous pollutants, reducing the impact of heavy industry on the environment.

Carbon capture also provides excellent opportunities for engineering graduates, according to recruitment consultant, Ray Bennett. ‘Carbon capture has a relatively young workforce because there are no specialists yet.’ Biomass, a process that generates renewable energy from plant matter, is also gaining prominence in the UK.

East Midlands Airport, for example, has begun planting hundreds of willow trees in a bid to become the first UK airport to heat its terminal with biomass. The airport is attempting to reduce its carbon emissions, a desire shared by the engineers at the IET and indeed, by people all over the world.

The development of low carbon solutions to everyday problems is proving to be a buoyant area of modern engineering. Innovation requires fresh ideas, which is why graduate opportunities in the engineering sector are expected to rise. However, the scale of the task facing new engineers should not be underestimated, as many larger companies prefer their employees to have five to ten years professional experience.
 
Major operators such as Shell and BP may also require applicants to have an excellent degree grade, such as a 2:1 or even a first, depending on the career being offered. Graduates with reservations about their degree can pursue other avenues into engineering, such as through computing or media positions, both of which are commonplace in modern firms.
 
Whilst the IET does expect engineering companies to foster fresh links with universities over the next few decades, the present selection of work experience placements is disappointing, hampered by decades of technical stagnation in the industry. The continued development of low carbon technologies may yet prove the panacea that cures the engineering sector of its shortcomings, by opening up positions to a new generation of innovators.

If you’re looking for a career that make’s a difference, and need some direction in achieving it, Career Innovation can help. The organisation is running a London-based workshop on May 17th. Find out more at Eventbrite .