A source of global reliability

'It makes sense for us to train people ourselves'

Published: 16 September 2004

Alex McKie travels regularly to New York and Geneva. Over the next few months she will also visit Rwanda, Colombia and Papua New Guinea. Criss-crossing the globe is exciting in itself, but better still, says Alex, 26, is the satisfaction she gains from her work. She is developing drinking water guidelines for the World Health Organisation and helping to create policies that will benefit rural communities in the developing world.

Andy Burton's current project at first seems completely unrelated, though again it's both cutting-edge and satisfying. Andy, 24, is working on the development of knee joint replacements. What Alex and Andy have in common is their training as engineers. Alex studied civil engineering at Surrey University, and Andy graduated in mechanical engineering from the University of Leeds. Both are now working towards Masters degrees.

The sheer diversity of the engineering profession can seem bewildering. Planes, trains and automobiles all rely on the skills of an engineer, as do ships and space shuttles. And computers and chocolate bars, paints and power stations, fabrics and fuels. It would be far easier to list the areas of our lives that don't hinge on an engineer of some kind; it's hard to think of any at all.

The routes into engineering are varied too. While Alex and Andy both followed a degree course after taking their A-levels, that's far from the only option, says John Bristow, careers and education manager at SEMTA, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies. You can follow a modern apprenticeship in engineering directly after completing GCSE exams.

The National Curriculum is gearing up for GCSE-level students who are already demonstrating a practical bent. "New GCSE courses in engineering and manufacturing were introduced two years ago: the first cohort took their exams this summer," says Bristow. "If you're looking for a technically orientated career, you might consider one of these as well as core maths and science subjects."

An apprentice works for a suitable company - and gets paid! - while also attending relevant day-release courses. "An apprenticeship offers foundation skills that are relevant to different types of engineering - understanding how to read and interpret drawings, measurement and control, the properties of different materials, health and safety," explains Bristow.

Any student who is interested in this path needs to think early about contacting potential employers. "Don't wait for your exam results to start making moves," advises Bristow. "You should be thinking about this from Christmas onwards."

The simplest way forward after GCSEs is to contact an accredited training provider. SEMTA has compiled a comprehensive listing that covers England, Scotland and Wales, information which is also available from local learning and skills councils.

The Southampton Engineering Training Association (SETA) is a recognised training provider. SETA places apprentices with major companies such as Exxon Mobil, Southern Electrical Contracting and Southampton General Hospital. "We help young people find jobs in industry, and we help companies manage their training," explains SETA's Claire Sutton. "We can also help companies with the paperwork involved, and we also give candidates our own aptitude test before they go forward to an interview with an employer. These companies are investing in the future, and a lot of our apprentices are the potential managers of the future."

Entering engineering at any level can eventually lead to a degree. Successful apprentices will emerge after three or four years with a recognised NVQ, and then there are various possibilities. They may be recruited permanently and trained further; they may look for a post with another company or they may opt to move back to academia. Some employers might even sponsor a degree course.

At Salford University, the annual intake of 500 to 600 undergraduates includes national diploma graduates as well as A-level students, says Haifa Takruri-Rizk, lecturer in networking and telecommunications in the School of Computing, Science and Engineering. When it comes to A-levels, she says, Salford requires a solid set of B and C grades to study towards a BEng qualification. "We look for maths, physics and another subject for 'hard' engineering such as aeronauticals or mechanical engineering. Some courses also ask for design technology." Salford graduates work in the UK and all round the world, with internationally known companies such as British Aerospace, Siemens and Ove Arup.

When it comes to keeping options open at undergraduate level, says SEMTA's projects officer Angela Townsend, some universities offer courses that include general engineering for the first one or two years. "It's not until the second or third year that you're invited to specialise, which means that if you aren't sure what path you'd eventually like to take, you don't have to make up your mind immediately."

Universities are also more flexible over entrance requirements than you might think, adds John Bristow. "Most will ask for a couple of science subjects: maths, physics, IT or design technology. But your third A-level could equally well be a foreign language: a lot of engineering is internationally based."

The Engineering Careers Information Service (ECIS), an arm of SEMTA, has produced a jazzy information CD-Rom, available free. Or visit the New Outlooks in Science and Engineering (NOISE) website, funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, which features a variety of engineering success stories. And throughout 2005, the Institute of Physics will be running various events as part of Einstein Year to encourage interest in science.

Engineers are essential, and there is a considerable shortfall in the numbers who choose to enter the field, particularly high-calibre candidates - and most particularly women. Women make up around 20 per cent of undergraduate students in software engineering, but only 5-10 per cent of electrical engineering undergraduates are female; across the board, the average is around 15 per cent.

This isn't as it should be, says Alex McKie. "On my course, the women were at the top of the class. We all had rounded skills, and one of the most important was the ability to communicate - a big advantage."

ECIS at SEMTA: 0800 282167 (freephone), www.enginuity.org.uk; Einstein Year: www.einsteinyear.org; NOISE: 0870 190 6184, www.noisenet.ws; SETA: 02380 771908, www.seta-training.co.uk

'It makes sense for us to train people ourselves'

Paul Benham, 44, is managing director of Benham Manufacturing, a sub-contract machining company in Southampton that recruits one or two apprentices each year

We manufacture components that are used within markets such as aerospace, defence, and the high-tech industries. I became an apprentice myself when I left school at 16. There were more opportunities for apprenticeships in the Seventies, but there has definitely been an increase in the number of companies offering apprenticeships in recent years.

As part of my training, I studied at college on day release over a six-year period. Then I was employed as a design draftsman at BT for five years. It was then that I joined the firm my father founded in 1978. I started at grass roots, on the shop floor. I learnt how to set, programme and operate a CNC lathe and implemented a quality system.

It's extremely difficult to find staff of the calibre that we need so it makes sense for us to train people ourselves. Both our shop floor manager and production engineer started as apprentices about 12 years ago.

The first thing I look for in a candidate is a clear conviction that this is what they want to do; secondly we look for aptitude, because operating modern machine tools to manufacture complex components demands skill and concentration. Also, computers now play a significant part in precision engineering.