» An overviewThis section covers four degree subjects which are closely linked, and graduates from these disciplines often work together professionally. The Engineering Council and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) have continued to express concerns about skills shortages in engineering and construction, which impacts not only on employers but also the wider economy too, as lower productivity leads to losses on domestic market shares as well as international trade. Both sectors seek to attract more entrants, particularly women. The Engineering Council website lists 14 organisations supporting women into engineering, science and technology while the CITB’s Positive Image campaign, along with their successful annual National Construction Week, aims to attract school leavers and graduates into this “exciting and challenging career”. For the 2004 academic year, 21,960 UK students were accepted on to engineering and technology courses, which represented only 5.8% of the total cohort. According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) website, there are over 300 foundation degree courses in engineering and over 250 for building construction and property. These courses are supported by graduate recruiters and government alike and will hopefully lead to more good candidates for both sectors in the years to come. » DestinationsEmployment rates six months after graduation in 2004 for engineering and building management graduates were higher than the average for all first degree disciplines (see Table 1). Engineering and building graduates were also less likely to have entered further study/training, although for architecture and buliding and civil engineering, relatively high proportions (over 12%) of graduates were both studying and working. This is an indicator that graduates from these highly vocational subject areas may not need additional postgraduate qualifications to land their first job, unlike some of their peers studying more general degrees. Table 1: The first destinations of building and engineering graduates from 2004 | Numbers graduating (survey respondents) | Entering employment (%) | Entering further study/training (%) | Working and studying (%) | Unemployed at time of survey (%) | Other (%) |
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| Architecture and building | 4,040 | 67.5 | 8.6 | 14.9 | 3.3 | 5.7 | | Civil engineering | 1,290 | 71.0 | 7.2 | 12.3 | 3.9 | 5.6 | | Electrical and electronic engineering | 3,080 | 63.3 | 12.3 | 7.1 | 10.7 | 6.6 | | Mechanical engineering | 2,130 | 67.1 | 10.1 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 7.5 | | All first degree subjects | 204,165 | 62.7 | 14.1 | 9.3 | 6.1 | 7.8 |
Comparison of the 2004 unemployment figures for engineering and building management with those of previous year’s reveals that architecture and building, electrical and electronic engineering and mechanical engineering graduates all showed a decrease in unemployment in 2004. Although unemployment for civil engineering graduates rose slightly from 3.5% in 2003 to 3.9% in 2004, this was still below the average of 6.1% for all first degree graduates. The high employment and low unemployment rates for civil engineering and architecture and building graduates were evidence of the strength of the construction industry in recent years. A recent Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) survey of its members reveals an acute skills shortage which is set to run beyond 2005. The Deputy Chief Executive of CIOB, Michael Brown, hopes that the ‘attraction of projects like the Olympics should provide an opportunity to showcase the industry and attract many more young people.’ » Types of workThe types of work that engineering and building management graduates go into is clustered around the career areas that are directly related to their degree subjects. However, a significant number also go into a range of other careers, including business. The Digest of Engineering Statistics 2003/4 reports that engineers as a whole are employed in a wide range of industries: 38% in manufacturing, 8.5% in construction and 54% spread through other sectors, ie finance and business, transport and communications, electricity and gas and water supply. Electrical and electronic engineering graduates of 2004 continue to adapt well to difficult market conditions entering a diverse range of occupations including finance, project management and IT. Engineers are, in fact, increasingly needed for project management and leadership roles, as borne out by a 2003 Engineering Council survey. Analyses of the latest Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) data also show that six months after graduation, graduates from engineering and building management disciplines were more likely than many others to be employed in ‘graduate jobs’. Whilst an average of 60.9% 2004 first degree graduates entered graduate-level occupations six months upon graduation, the figure was 76.2% for mechanical engineering graduates, 89.3% for architecture and building, and 91.4% for civil engineering graduates. Even for electrical and electronic engineering graduates, who were still recovering from high levels of unemployment which were down from 12.7% in 2003 to 10.7% in 2004, 61.8% entered graduate level jobs. » Graduate salariesAccording to the DLHE survey, six months after graduation, the average salaries for full-time, first degree architecture and building graduates entering full-time employment was £19,971, 17.3% above the average for all first degree graduates (£17,029). Graduates from civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical and electronic engineering also fared well, earning on average £19,427, £19,306 and £18,779 respectively. » Contacts and resourcesWebsitesResources on this siteGeneral links
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