Why Study Engineering?

Are you looking to become an engineer?

Engineers make the world go round. We design the mobile phone in your pocket and the satellites in space. We're first on the scene after a natural disaster making sure the water systems run and the lights stay on. We're involved in everything - from creating the clothes you wear and the food you eat to the trains you catch and planes you fly in. It is engineering which makes our every day lives work.

Engineering offers you a very exciting and creative future. Here are a few reasons why you should consider it.

Career Pathways

Engineering can be almost anything you want it to be. You can start as early as sixteen, getting an apprenticeship and learning new skills on the job. There are lots of courses in further education colleges that will help you develop your knowledge and skills as well. It is possible to be a fully qualified technician by the time you are 19 and many technicians then work their way quickly up the career ladder to positions of leadership.

If you have got the right qualifications at 18, you could go on to study engineering at university. Once you've graduated, you can work towards becoming a Chartered Engineer at the top of the profession.

Society

The world we live in faces serious problems; energy supply, food shortages, climate change. Engineers will be the key people in facing up to these challenges. Humans have always engineered solutions to great problems for the benefit of society. It is engineers, going forward, who will be responsible for solving the problems of the future.

Flexibility and variety

A qualification in engineering opens up a vast array of career options. There are many options to choose from: biomedical, aerospace, civil, electronic, chemical and many more. Whatever you decide, it is possible to work in research and development, in design or manufacture. But an engineering degree gives you many more options including finance, business, retail and logistics to name a few. It is a fact that many leading people in business have a qualification in engineering.

Money

In the UK and around the world, engineering is a well-paid profession. Five of the top ten highest paid early career salaries for graduates are in engineering. Also, demand for good engineers is high, so engineers with a good qualification are likely to find work quickly after their studies.

Innovation and leadership

By its very nature, engineering inspires innovation and leadership. Many of the most famous innovators are engineers by training. Engineers like James Dyson are highly creative, excellent at problem solving and make great designers. Engineers often start up companies with their own ideas and turn them into massive businesses, like Bill Gates of Microsoft or Steve Jobs of Apple. All these skills are developed in college and university and equip students with the skills to be creative and innovative.

Discovery

Human nature is driven by the desire to discover new things and new ideas. A lot of theoretical work is carried out in the labs of chemists, biologists and physicists, but it is engineers who go out into the world to discover how it all fits together and how it really works.

Interested in a career as a Marine Engineer?

A career as a Marine Engineer or Electro Technical Officer can open up possibilities for you that no other industry can. We offer sponsored training for Foundation Degree, HND and HNC which will see you at sea getting real, hands-on experience. Find out more here