OXFORD

ENGINEERING
ENGINEERING
The engineering sector contributes 27% of GDP to the
UK economy – in 2014 £456 billion – more than the retail,
5.5 million people employed in the sector across over
600,000 engineering companies. The engineering sector
in the UK is expected to grow to £608 billion by 2022.
Between 2012 and 2022 these companies are projected
to have 2.56 million job openings, and there is currently a
The engineering sector includes a wide range of
organisations – from vast multinational corporations right
down to small independent engineering companies and
start-ups. In the public sector, opportunities include roles
regional engineering projects and work with government
agencies. The majority of larger engineering employers
recruit for a variety of engineers, as well as for jobs open
to those without a background (but with an interest) in
engineering – such as in HR, sales and marketing, IT,
GETTING IN AND ENTRY POINTS
For technical engineering roles, a degree in engineering
(or sometimes a related subject, such as physics, materials
science or mathematics) is usually required, and the
average graduate starting salary is around £27k. Non-
salaries to their competitors in other corporate sectors.
Roles are offered year-round, but many of the larger
graduate schemes have deadlines closing each year around
December/January.
Work experience is often vital, and its worth bearing in
mind that the Engineering Science course at Oxford is
unusual in not having a built-in period of six or twelve
Science, Engineering & Technology Fair in Michaelmas
vacation. Smaller organisations are often willing to offer
work experience or internships – check on CareerConnect
Internship opportunities are usually advertised a little
later than graduate jobs, with deadlines tending to fall
from December to February and occasionally beyond.
Corinne Stuart
Consultant Engineer, Randle
Engineering Solutions
“As Oxford’s course is academically
focused, when applying for roles in
industry there may be a gap between
the experience desired and what’s
offered directly on the course.
The best way to gain more experience
is through internships, as well as
practical engineering societies and
personal projects.”
EXTRA-CURRICULAR IDEAS
+ Join Oxford’s Engineering Society, Biomedical
Engineering Society or OxFEST (for women).
+ Join UKSEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and
Development of Space).
+ Volunteer with Engineers Without Borders during your
vacations, to build both your skills and development
projects. A branch has recently been started at the
University.
+ Take part in an inter-university competition such as
Formula Student (run by the Institution of Mechanical
+ Read, and write a guest post for Developing Engineers,
a blog written by young engineers.
+ Share your passion for engineering with school children,
to also showcase your enthusiasm to future employers.
There are a number of outreach programmes organised
by professional bodies and the UK government, such as
STEMNET.
+ Join a professional engineering body as a young
member – or represent students on their board.
+ Enter the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Communications
Competition.
MORE INFORMATION:
www.careers.ox.ac.uk/engineering
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