Engineers help save lives, save the planet, help shape our environment and make a real difference.

Whether working in a team or individually, at home or abroad, there are many opportunities in this well paid profession.

Support

Routes Into Engineering

in partnership with

Aerospace, Agricultural, Automotive, Biomedical, Building Services, Chemical, Civil, Construction & the Built Environment, Design, Electrical, Electronic, Environment, Food Technology, Geotechnical, Industrial, Lighting, Manufacturing & Materials, Marine, Mechanical, Medical, Nuclear, Petroleum, Production, Systems, Telecommunication and many more.

The Apprenticeship Route

Simon Lark, Electrical, Control  and Instrumentation Engineering

Team Leader

As an apprentice I was satisfied that I would be building a career in a stable industry, getting academically qualified, learning a trade and of course being paid to do so!

The apprenticeship involved a mixture of college (ONC, HNC, NVQ), on-site training and specialist technical training. It was a great experience and I worked at several different sites, met lots of different people and learnt many new skills.

I hope that by the age of 40 I will be at Director level and I am confident that given my experiences and my commitment I can achieve this. I do believe however that without starting off my career as an apprentice this may not have been possible.

The Graduate Route

Emma Kent, Structural Engineer

When I was at school, I took part in GETSET & WISE to find out more about engineering. I got two AS Levels and three A2 Levels at school.

After school, I did a Year in Industry through the Royal Academy of Engineering which helped me to decide that civil engineering was the career for me.

I then gained a first class MEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering from the University of Nottingham and subsequently joined the graduate training scheme with Buro Happold.

The Non-Graduate Route

Daryl Hewerdine, National Grid

I’ve never been the type of person to be happy sitting at a desk from nine till five. A hands-on career was always the way forward for me.

I left school with A Levels in maths, physics and product design and while applying to universities I came across the National Grid Engineer Training Programme. It will provide me with a NEBOSH qualification and a foundation degree in Electrical Power Engineering (National Grid).

I’m now in my final year of the programme and I haven’t looked back. The training has been second to none and combined with the on-site experience, I’m well on my way to

becoming an engineer.

Engineering is a great career choice…

Students will be interested in

the honest cash figures...

New graduate engineers can expect to earn £22,000 with room for more, while the average wage of a Chartered Engineer (visit www.engc.org.uk for more details on Chartered, Incorporated and Registered Technician status) is in excess of £50,000. Becoming a Managing Director or Chief Executive can earn you even more (sometimes over £100,000). The national average salary in the UK is £25,000.

An employed apprentice will earn almost £5,000 a year while training, with some companies paying almost £9,000 a year depending on skills. Engineering technicians earn on average over £30,000 per year.

But we need more engineers

Less than 1% of the working population are registered engineers, see the Diversity resource for more information.

Talk ChecklistSTEM Ambassadors are often asked to do careers talks.

It can be quite daunting so we have drawn up a checklist for you to use to help you develop a presentation. If you are doing

a PowerPoint presentation, remember to use lots of pictures instead of words, check out our Diversity resource for help and

visit the websites above.

It is possible that the students might be sitting for a while, so after introducing yourself try an ice breaker to get started and to encourage your audience to engage. Many of the tasks in the support resources can be used as ice breakers, but here is a generic example...

More InformationPerhaps you could develop these ideas further by joining a school STEM Club? www.stemclubs.net

There are more useful ideas at STEMNetworking (http://networking.stemnet.org.uk ) where you can find support resources such as The Engineering Message and Diversity which have lots of STEM Ambassador profiles to use.

For more information on the

Engineering Engagement Project visit The Royal Academy of Engineering website at

www.raeng.org.uk

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Solution:Triangle StrawsSet your audience the following task:

You have six straight lines (straws). You are not allowed to bend them or break them. Your task is to draw (or build if you have handed out straws) four triangles.

In your presentation include:

I The subjects that you did at school; did you find any of them particularly difficult or easy?

I Did you go to university or follow another route? Why did you make this choice and did you enjoy it?

I What is your job and what do you do?

I What is your favourite/least favourite part of your job?

I What do you want to do in the future?

I Remember you may be asked questions such as how much you get paid, do you get to travel, etc?

I Be as honest as possible; engineers do need to be proficient in maths and science .

I Use examples of friends and colleagues.

I If you have to explain something that is difficult start by relating it to yourself or your audience, before giving more global examples.

I Remember you are not a careers advisor, but you can inspire students by describing your own experiences.

Marketing Phase(You will need the teacher to help with this stage)

G Each company now has an extra start up budget of $100 million. The companies have to decide what they are going to trade.

G Each of the following items should be in small bundles so that the companies’ ‘ships’ can transport them across the tray or sink.

G A product from Asia can only be sold in South America and vice versa.

Station yourself and the teacher at either ends of the testing area, each with a price list. Allow the students to trade for a fixed period of time, but change the prices throughout the activity to reflect changing markets.

The winning team will be the company that has made the most money.

This activity demonstrates that engineers need to have lots of

different skills (e.g. people skills and creativity) for their many different

roles (e.g. management and manufacturing).

Design Phase

G Each company has a ‘budget’ of $150 million.

G They must design, make and test a ‘ship’; you can limit the amount of time depending on how long you have.

G They are charged for each piece of material they use; draw up a quick list depending on the materials available from the teacher, use a tray or sink of water to test.

Remember you can use very simple materials:

paper, straws, modelling

clay and recycled

plastic pots.

Champion-ShipsA good way to engage students is to get them active.

This adaptation of Champion-Ships, originally developed by BAE Systems STEM Ambassadors for the Barrow Engineering Project, is a great way to show the variety of engineering (please note, this is a massively scaled down version of the original).

Split your group into teams to form ‘international companies’.

These companies will have to design and manufacture a ‘trade ship’ before trading between two ‘continents’. The aim is to make as much profit as possible.

Champion-Ships PrepFind out what materials are available

(i.e. scrap paper, straws, modelling clay e.g. Plasticine and recycled plastics) and put a

price against each one.

Put small amounts of sugar, cotton wool etc, into food bags (making a few of each depending on the size and number of

groups expected). Set a price for each commodity: high when supply is limited and low when there is a big supply.

Remember you only need a big sink or tray and just enough water for the ships to float. Always think of health and safety,

and discuss with the teacher.

Light Medium Heavy

South America Cotton Wool (Cotton) Sand (Ore) Nails (Iron)

Asia Rice Sugar Bolts (Steel)

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Engineering CareersEngineering covers the whole life cycle of products, structures and processes, from their initial conception and production, to maintenance and if necessary destruction or decommissioning.

There are careers that reflect all of these stages at a variety of levels. Use the information below as a starting point for research into engineering careers.

Contact UsThe Royal Academy of Engineering 3 Carlton House TerraceLondon SW1Y 5DG Tel: 020 7766 0600 Fax: 020 7930 1549 Web: www.raeng.org.uk

Engineering Engagement ProjectWeb: www.raeng.org.uk/eenpEmail: eenp@raeng.org.uk

Careers WebsitesThe information to the right has been taken from Tomorrow’s Engineers: www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk

However there are lots of other websites with good information about engineering and technology (and STEM related) careers:

G www.futuremorph.org

G www.mathscareers.org.uk

G www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/whatisengineeringpresentation

G www.whynotchemeng.com

G www.whystudymaterials.ac.uk

G www.wisecampaign.org.uk/girls/fun_stuff/mind_maps.cfm

The STEM Careers Ambassador briefing pack has been designed to help you reflect on your value as a role model and find out more about where to signpost young people for up-to-date careers information. The pack can be downloaded from http://networking.stemnet.org.uk/resources.

Please contact denise.eaton@shu.ac.uk from the STEM Careers Project team with any feedback or

requests for further information.

The Non-Graduate RouteIf you are not sure which route to take, a Non-Graduate (vocational) option may be for you. Study at your local

college and qualify for further study or employment.

Popular engineering qualifications include BTECs at levels 2 and 3 or HNC and HND. Foundation degrees (www.fdf.ac.uk) are also available.

Visit www.direct.gov.uk/en/EducationAndLearning/QualificationsExplained/DG_10039029 for more information

The Graduate RouteThere are many different general and specialist

engineering degree courses available (over 2,500 due to start in the academic year 2011–2012).

Entry grades will vary depending on the course and university, as well as the final qualification. In general, for most engineering courses you

will need maths and physics A level (or equivalent) – or for chemical engineering, chemistry A level (or equivalent).

Some courses might offer an industrial placement or European study visit www.ucas.ac.uk to search the courses available.

The Apprenticeship Route www.apprenticeships.org.uk Scotland visit www.apprenticeshipsinscotland.com and in Wales wales.gov.uk/apprenticeships

To get onto an apprenticeship you will generally need a minimum of five GCSEs (or equivalent), including English, mathematics and science or technology subjects.

There is competition for places so you may need GCSE grades of A* to C.

Apprenticeships provide you with an opportunity to earn whilst you learn. Advanced Apprenticeships (England and Northern Ireland) or Modern Apprenticeships (Scotland and Wales) combine study with employment. You will often follow a standard format:

1. National Vocational Qualification (Level 2 for Apprenticeships, Level 3 for Advanced Apprenticeships)

2. Key Transferable Skills3. A Technical Certificate

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