Engineering and manufacturing

The engineering and manufacturing sector is both academically and practically challenging. It is suited to those who want to use their academic, especially scientific, skills to solve practical problems in a variety of settings.

Typical jobs in this sector include:

  • aerospace engineer
  • civil engineer
  • water engineer
  • mechanical engineer
  • manufacturing engineer.

Key skills that are useful in this sector include:

  • technical knowledge, and the ability to apply it to real-world problems
  • innovation, especially in the context of commercial awareness
  • resilience, particularly when needing to work unsociable hours or away from home
  • being able to work as part of a team, as well as alone
  • communication skills, including when communicating with non-specialists about your work.

For job profiles and detailed information on pursuing a career in engineering and manufacturing, see the Prospects website:

Engineering and manufacturing profile

Contents

How to get a job

To prepare for a career in engineering and manufacturing, you should research the sector carefully. You should also talk with people who are in the sector already.

Work experience is also an essential requirement for gaining employment in this sector. You can get this through internships and placements.

Make a connection

To connect with people already working in the sector, consider joining Saint Connect, the University of St Andrews’ exclusive, global, online community for networking and career mentoring. See more ideas for making a connection.

You can also join one of the many professional bodies in this sector. For ideas of which bodies you could join, see Prospects’ how to become an engineer page.

Work experiences and internships

Large graduate employers within this sector offer paid internships or placements over the summer, usually for about 10 to 12 weeks.

To apply, you will need to be in the second or third year of your degree and on track to achieve at least a 2.2 (for some schemes a 2.1).

For some companies, good performance in an internship can lead to you being fast-tracked to the company’s graduate training scheme.

Examples of companies offering paid internships include:

There are also longer-term industry placements, such as those offered by Airbus and Dyson. These are paid, tend to last about a year, and are usually available to undergraduates in their penultimate year of study. However, these placements are only available to students whose degree course allows it. You should check with your academic School to see what regulations apply to you.

See more engineering employers offering internships or placements (TARGETjobs).

If you are having difficulties finding paid internships with larger organisations, you could consider making a speculative application to smaller employers in your local area, offering to undertake a brief period of unpaid work experience. Many smaller employers will be open to this kind of application and will have the flexibility to make a decision quickly. For help with finding employers local to you, see Manufacturing and Engineering Magazine's directory.

You should consider also gaining work experience in either a related sector, such as energy and utilities, or from part-time work in general. See the part-time local jobs page for ideas of where to find work like this in the St Andrews area.

Also see other alternatives to paid engineering internships or placements in this sector (TARGETjobs).

Find internships (Careers Centre)

Attend events

The Careers Centre often puts on events where you can talk to employers visiting St Andrews. Visit the events page for more information.

Further study

Though further study is usually not needed to gain an entry-level graduate job in this sector, you may find it helpful to study further to enhance your career opportunities. In some areas of this sector, such as civil engineering, a Masters degree is common and is required to achieve chartered status.

For more information on further study and chartered status, see the further study pages.

Finding a job

Check out our job listings for vacancies or see the resources below for jobs in the engineering and manufacturing sector.

Find jobs (Careers Centre)

Jobs in the UK

Graduate training schemes

A graduate training scheme is a paid, entry-level job that also acts as a training programme. Graduate training schemes are common in this sector and are one way of acquiring a graduate-level position. They are offered by a wide variety of large graduate employers, usually those that offer placements and internships.

For help finding these opportunities, see Student Ladder’s engineering graduate scheme page.

Jobs outside the UK

Applying for a job

When applying for jobs in this sector, you can expect to do at least some of the following:

In addition, for graduate training schemes, you can expect to take psychometric tests or attend an assessment centre.

For applications to engineering and manufacturing jobs, you may also be expected to attend a technical interview, in which the interviewer will test your ability to use the specialist skills the role requires. For more information, see TARGETjobs' advice on technical interviews.

The application process for engineering and manufacturing jobs may vary according to which company you are applying to. Research the company to understand the skills, competencies and values they are looking for. Also check the company’s website, as many provide details on their recruitment and selection processes.

If you would like personalised help on any aspect of applying for a job, you can book an appointment with a careers adviser.  

Applying for a job