Engineering and building management : Types of work

The types of work entered by engineering and building management graduates are clustered around the career areas directly relating to their degree subjects. For example, 54.6% of civil engineering and 59.4% of mechanical engineering graduates from 2010 working in the UK entered careers as engineering professionals. The majority of employed electronic and electrical engineering graduates entered one of two careers: 30.9% as professional engineers, and 18.3% becoming IT professionals. Employment in the ‘other professional, associate professional and technical occupations’, which includes architects, building surveyors and town planners, was the option for 48.1% of architecture and building graduates.

Whilst engineers may be employed across virtually all sectors as their skills are well regarded, a report by Engineering UK shows the top employer destination for those graduating with a first degree in engineering and technology subject areas in 2009 was the manufacturing sector. This is followed by professional, scientific and technical activities companies.

Engineering is also important to the growth of the low carbon economy. According to the report by Engineering UK, The Department for Energy and Climate Change estimates that the renewable energy sector alone could create 500,000 new jobs by 2020.

Salaries

According to the DLHE survey of 2010 graduates, six months after graduation, the average salaries for full time, first degree building and engineering graduates entering full-time employment in the UK were above the average for all first degree graduates (£19,794). Graduates who studied civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical and electronic engineering earned on average, £22,819, £23,993 and £21,852 respectively, whilst building graduates earned on average £20,527.

There are though regional variations in salary. For example, salaries for electrical and electronic engineering range from an average of £18,800 in Humber to an average of £24,500 in Scotland. For civil engineering the range is from £19,000 in Northern Ireland to £25,600 in London, whereas for mechanical engineering it varies from £19,700 in the North East to £26,500 in Scotland.