Electrical Engineer

An electrical engineer designs, builds and maintains electrical systems, machinery and equipment. Without electrical engineers, computers, phones, TVs and all other electronics wouldn’t exist.

To become an electrical engineer, you’ll need knowledge of engineering science and technology, as well as maths, computing operating systems, hardware and software. You’ll also need a keen eye for detail, with determination and excellent communication skills.

Salary: £33,569

Your day-to-day tasks will depend on the industry you're in. You could:

• carry out feasibility studies for new technical developments
• draw up project plans and circuit diagrams using computer-assisted engineering and design software
• estimate costs and project timings
• coordinate the work of technicians and craftspeople
• test installations and systems, and analyse test data
• make sure projects meet safety regulations
• oversee inspection and maintenance programmes
• attend meetings, write reports and give presentations

Civil Engineering

Civil Engineers design things we see in our day to day lives; from our houses, to bridges, roads and sewers.

Civil Engineers have a very diverse workload, and will be involved in all aspects of projects from scheme design through to construction on site. Alongside this, liaising with other team members will be crucial to support one another.

Salary: £32,128

Civil engineers are often responsible for large teams that are involved in project design, planning, and construction processes. This requires that they regularly meet, collaborate with, and manage these team members, composed of surveyors, construction managers, architects, landscape architects, and urban planners.

In addition, they themselves will spend significant amounts of time designing and planning projects and presenting proposals, needs assessments, budgets, and amendments to clients.

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineers participate in the planning and manufacturing of new products by performing engineering duties and developing, designing and testing mechanical devices.

Mechanical engineers work with other team members to create new product designs that meet customer needs and relevant government codes and regulations. They create these designs using established engineering practices and relevant technological tools. They research designs and make recommendations based on appearance, safety, budget, and function, and estimate the time and cost needed to complete projects.

Salary: £32,405

As a mechanical Engineer, you’ll be responsible for:

• Translate requirements and functional design specifications into mechanical CAD design
• Deliver innovative technical design and functional solutions that support programme deliverable.
• Capture and record design rationale and associated technical risks.
• Engage with the wider project team to deliver cost effective, compliant 3D models ready for product definition.
• Ensure that the physical and functional mechanical integration of electrical, automation and control systems meet all programme requirements.

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineers develop and design chemical manufacturing processes, and work for a variety of employers, such as chemical production companies (for example pharmaceuticals, construction, petrochemicals, food processing, electronics, plastics and polymer manufacturers), the water treatment industry, and the environmental health and safety industries.

Salary: £33,391

As a Chemical Engineer, you will:

• Ensure products are produced efficiently
• Ensure technical problems are solved safely and economically
• Be highly skilled in maths and chemistry and commercially aware
• Be analytical
• Work well under pressure
• Good teamwork and communication skills
• IT and relevant specialist technical knowledge

Engineering Technician

Engineering technicians perform a variety of technical support functions to assist engineers with the design, development, operation, installation and maintenance of engineering systems and constructions.

Salary: £35,763

Tasks

• Visits and advises clients on the use and servicing of mechanical and chemical engineering products and services.
• Inspects completed aircraft maintenance work to certify that it meets standards and the aircraft is ready for operation.
• Diagnoses and detects faults and implements procedures to maintain efficient operation of systems and equipment.
• Prepares estimates of materials, equipment and labour required for engineering projects.
• Sets up equipment, undertakes tests, takes readings, performs calculations and records and interprets data.
• Plans and prepares work and test schedules based on specifications and drawings.

Design Engineer

A design Engineer is primarily responsible for turning customer requirements into viable ‘ready for production’ designs, including generating Bill of Materials and working instructions as part of the design process.

Salary: £30,109

Tasks:

• Create and design products in line with customer requirements
• Rectifying day to day technical and design issues and assisting the production team with their daily challenges.
• Leading a drive for continuous improvement, including helping to close the feedback loop on quality.
• Training apprentices and providing the support they need with their academic work.
• Supporting the Sales team with any design and technical enquires.
• Supporting the After sales team with the after-sales technical issues
• Striving to improve efficiency and sustainability of processes and product designs, and to reduce waste.
• Assuring that quality and compliance guidelines are met.

Nuclear Engineer

Nuclear engineers are known to design, build, run, or decommission nuclear power stations. They work in multi-disciplinary teams, and come to technical solutions for the problems that they face.

Depending on the role, they could be designing totally new systems, maintaining existing systems or looking for ways to improve the efficiency, stability and sustainability of nuclear power plants.

Another important task is decommissioning facilities, as well as planning and carrying our safety procedures for transport, storage and the disposal of radioactive material used in nuclear plants.

Salary: £45,450

As a nuclear engineer, you'll need to:

• understand the science behind how nuclear facilities work
• analyse energy transmission, conversion and storage systems
• solve design or operational problems with reactor cores and shielding, hydraulic and electrical systems, and complex instrumentation such as monitoring equipment
• manage staff and budgets for complex design, construction, maintenance, expansion, safety and decommissioning projects
• always keep the safety of people and the environment in mind, cooperate with local emergency services, and work with national, European Union (EU) and international industry regulatory bodies
• be aware of and address security concerns regarding the use, transport, storage and disposal of radioactive materials

Test Engineer

Test engineers work creatively to design tests for products, materials, mechanical and electrical systems, procedures and software application. The tests serve as part of a company’s rigorous quality assurance program, and the engineers design tests for all types of products to identify trouble spots and fix them. The job requires new approaches to test product limits and a knowledge base about types of tests for different issues like increasing the speed of a device or software, making the product safer for consumers and cutting costs in the manufacturing process.

Salary: £30,612

A typical day could include:

• collecting data and analysing results and patterns
• collating regular progress reports and feedback on usability and serviceability
• testing any returned or faulty products
• fixing bugs
• interacting with other teams to analyse, document and interpret product tests
• recommending alternative strategies within product development
• ensuring testing procedures are compliant with any required industry standards