Engineering : Typical employers

Big players

The engineering sector has several big players that often recruit from the full spectrum of engineering degrees.

Aerospace is the high tech end of the sector requiring recruits to have strong academic backgrounds. It is dominated by global companies like Airbus and Boeing who build aircraft and Rolls-Royce and General Electric who build engines. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and BAE Systems also recruit big numbers of graduates as do MBDA and several others. The sector attracts all engineering degrees except civil.

The automotive industry for graduates is small, but dominated by global companies such as Honda, Nissan, Toyota, General Motors and BMW. Design and development roles in the UK tend to be with Bentley, McLaren and Williams. A passion for cars, excellent team and communication skills are required to succeed in this fast paced industry. The sector attracts all engineering degrees except civil.

The built environment sector is suffering from the recession. Employment in this sector is expected to recover. Amey, Arup, Atkins and Mott MacDonald are historically big recruiters. Good team and technical skills are important. Civil/structural, control, electrical, electronic, environmental, mechanical, power systems and telecoms degrees are ideal for this sector.

The chemical industry includes petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals, water organisations, engineering contractors and rapidly growing biotechnology companies. The industry is involved in areas as diverse as water desalination, medicine and paint. It is a global industry, offering travel potential. Big players include Air Products, Akzonobel and BASF. There are opportunities for most types of engineer apart from aerospace, automotive power systems and telecoms.

Defence forms a large part of engineering recruitment offering opportunities to most types of engineering graduates. Organisations recruiting such as BAE, Dstl and QinetiQ are large, offering a diverse range of opportunities to graduates with solid engineering backgrounds.

The electronics industry includes component manufacturers such as Intel, Wolfson Microelectronics and CSR and equipment manufacturers like Sony, Philips and Sharp. The electrical sector covers a wide range of industries including transport, construction, telecommunications and manufacturing.

The energy sector has opportunities with large globals such as ExxonMobil and BP but also with smaller companies in key areas such as exploration and oil rig construction. Engineers are also needed in power generation companies that use nuclear, wind, hydro, tidal and solar power. Large globals such as EDF Energy and E.ON coexist with smaller concerns which develop niche areas such as solar power. This area is open to most engineering disciplines.

The railway network is a major recruiter of graduates from many disciplines. The biggest of these is the infrastructure operator Network Rail. Other recruiters are the train operators, consultants, rolling stock suppliers and London Underground.

In telecoms, key players are household names like Nokia, Ericsson, Siemens and Vodafone. Cutting edge technological developments define this sector. Business awareness is a must. This area recruits mainly electrical, electronic, software and telecoms engineers.

The utilities sector covers electricity, gas, water and waste management and the large number of major utility companies such as npower, Scottish Power, and Thames Water. 

Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

SMEs are organisations with less than 250 employees and an annual turnover of no more than £26million. Working for a smaller company can be rewarding because you are more likely to forge a path for yourself within the company, although opportunities to try other departments may be limited.

SMEs are unlikely to use the testing and assessment techniques of larger companies, or follow lengthy recruitment procedures. SMEs are more likely to advertise their vacancies through the local press, university careers service bulletins, local graduate vacancy listings, jobcentres, and word of mouth, rather than rely on their reputation and a presence at graduate recruitment fairs.

Careers services should have listings of jobs with small firms; see also the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

Self-employment

It is possible to become self-employed or work freelance within certain sectors once you have built up experience. Opportunities mainly exist within consultancy.

Find out more about self employment.