What sort of tasks would I be doing?
There are many different types of engineers, so there are loads of different tasks that you might be involved in:
- Sports engineering – e.g. designing sporting equipment
- Aerospace engineering – e.g. designing and building a spacecraft
- Chemical engineering – e.g. transforming raw materials, such as oil, into useful products
- Civil engineering – e.g. designing and building a new bridge
- Electrical engineering – e.g. designing electrical systems for a TV
- Computer engineering – e.g. improveing internet search engines
- Mechanical engineering – e.g. designing an engine for a high speed train.
What qualifications would I need?
For most engineering jobs you will need a degree. But don’t let this put you off – there’s loads of help out there if you want to study at university, you just need to ask for it!
A-levels in sciences, engineering and maths as well as the Diploma in engineering are always an advantage. The diploma is a great introduction to engineering – it mixes real work place experience with classroom work so you get a good feel for what the job would be like.
If you want to go on to study engineering at university but haven’t got the right A-levels, doing a foundation or access course would allow you entry onto a degree course.
Most major engineering companies have graduate schemes that you can apply for while you’re still at university. Look out for them at university recruitment fairs or check the websites of companies you are interested in.
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