Engineering For The Future

At South Downs College you have the chance to change things for the better by studying to become part of an industry that constantly challenges the way things were so as to make a better world for all of us.

Engineering is about change and development, be it in the world of medicine, sport, leisure, or wherever; it does not matter, engineers are constantly striving to make the world a better, more comfortable and enjoyable place in which to live.

At South Downs College we can offer you a course that will allow you to develop your skills and abilities so that, at whatever level, if you like a challenge you can get out there and be part of that change.

If you are not sure of your career choice yet, this page has been created to give you some guidance of what a career in engineering could mean for you.

The links to the web-sites are for you to research and as you will see, there are many different engineering sectors to choose from.

The Engineering department at South Downs College do not suggest that the information supplied from these web-sites is necessarily correct or complete and we can take no responsibility for the content included within these sites.

Generally a high level of qualification is required leading to university entry for a career in the aeronautical industry.

The two web-sites included here give an insight into this area of engineering with careers advice and profiles of people working within the industry.

http://www.raes.org.uk/raes/careers/careers.html
Royal Aeronautical Society’s Careers Centre, a good web-site with a lot of careers guidance and opportunities for employment within the industry.

http://www.baesystems.com/graduate
British Aerospace Systems, a guide to Careers, Industrial placements and Graduate Development within the Aerospace industry

There is not a lot of information about agricultural engineering although there are colleges and universities offering courses in Higher education for this career route. We have had students progress to Agricultural College from the BTEC National Diploma course in the past few years.

The two web-sites included do give some help and may be worth contacting for further information.

http://www.iagre.org/modapp.htm
http://www.aea.uk.com/index.htm

Architecture requires study at university level; however there are opportunities for architectural technicians without the need for study at a higher level within Civil and Construction engineering and within Local Government employment.

There are many career opportunities
at all levels within the civil and construction engineering areas

http://www.architecture.com/go/Architecture/Home.html

This is one of the world's most extensive built environment portals, all courtesy of the Royal Institute of British Architects and includes much information on how to start a career in architecture.

http://www.ice.org.uk/homepage/index.asp
The Institute of Civil Engineers site contains some good information as to careers and the qualifications required to work within that industry

http://www.citb.org.uk
The Construction industry Training Board, this is a huge web-site with lots of industry related information and an excellent guide to careers and qualifications required to work within the industry.

http://www.istructe.org.uk/index.asp?bhcp=1
The Institute of Structural Engineers, a good web-site with careers guidance and information on employment within the industry

http://www.lgcareers.com
The local government web-site with good links for employment and qualifications required to work within that sector of the industry

A career in the Marine Industry would normally require a degree in engineering however there are jobs available within the Naval and Commercial dockyards at all levels for apprenticeships

http://www.imarest.org
IMarEST is a web-site to develop interest in marine engineering, science and technology; it provides opportunities for engineers to exchange ideas and knowledge, a general interest web-site.

http://fleet.support.co.uk/index.htm
Naval Dockyard Portsmouth, general information with link to careers

http://www.rina.org.uk
The Royal Institution of Naval Architects is an internationally renowned professional institution whose members are involved at all levels in the design, construction, repair and operation of ships, boats and marine structures. Good careers and qualifications guidance.

There are careers available at all levels within these different sectors:

http://circuit.iee.org
The IEE’s website for students, graduates and young professionals which acts as a one-stop gateway for young engineers to find IEE information which is relevant to them, their studies and career development along with essential news, global contacts and useful web links.

http://www.iee.org
The Institute of Electrical Engineers is an organisation for electronics, electrical, manufacturing and IT professionals, with some good careers and qualifications information.

http://www.intellectuk.org
Intellect is the trade body for the UK based information technology, telecommunications and electronics industry, a general interest web-site.

There are career opportunities at all levels within the power generation industries however companies tend to recruit students with the best academic qualifications. All three sites include some careers advice.

http://www.aepuk.com
AEP is the leading trade association for the UK electricity market and represent companies that generate the electricity upon which the country depends using coal, gas and nuclear power as well as renewable sources such as wind, biomass and water.

http://www.energynetworks.org
ENA represents the licensed gas and electricity transmission and distribution companies in the UK. Use this site to find out about ENA, the networks industry in the UK, and the issues affecting gas and electricity transmission and distribution companies across the country.

http://www.britishnucleargroup.com
British Nuclear Group has a clear sense of purpose and ambition – to become the UK’s largest and most profitable nuclear site management and clean-up company while growing its international presence, based on serving customers’ needs.

http://www.environmental.org.uk/index.php
Most information for environmental engineering will be contained within most of the other sectors; this area of engineering should be a large area of growth and will also cover waste management which is increasingly becoming a major factor in our every day lives. The following web-site gives some good general interest information on environmental engineering.

http://www.iwm.co.uk
The Chartered Institute of Waste Management gives give some careers information and a general overview of the waste management industry within their own web-site.

The armed forces will offer employment at all levels however they can afford to be choose students who have good qualifications. Generally at engineering technician level they are looking for a minimum of ‘C’ Grades at GCSE in both Maths and English and prefer to recruit from students who have progressed well at intermediate or higher level courses within Further Education.

http://www.army.mod.uk/careers
Official web-site for the Armed Forces, information on careers

http://www.rafcareers.com
Official web-site for the Royal Air Force, information on careers

http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk
Official web-site for the Royal Navy, information on careers

The Merchant Navy offers a number of career opportunities every year at all levels of qualification; however they mainly recruit at graduate level. The following web-sites will give you some careers advice and also an insight as to what a career in the Merchant Navy may mean for you.

http://mntb.org.uk
Merchant Navy Training Board list those opportunities exist for capable and enthusiastic young people to train to manage and operate modern and technically sophisticated ships. The prospects for development of a worthwhile and rewarding career are excellent.

http://www.gotosea.org
The “gotosea” website will provide you with an introduction to careers at sea and the wider maritime industries. This is a huge web-site with loads of information about the marine industry. Good careers guidance with profiles of people working within those industries.

Many career opportunities within this sector of the industry, however employers can afford to take the best applicants for any jobs offered, entry can be at any level of course and thence to an apprenticeship, or through a higher level course and then onto an engineering degree.

http://www.engc.org.uk/index.asp
Official web-site for the Engineering Council, general information and links to career opportunities

http://www.instmc.org.uk
The Institute of Measurement and Control, this is a general interest web-site with some limited information on career opportunities.

http://www.iom3.org
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, a general interest web-site with some good careers information

http://www.ied.org.uk
The Institution of Engineering Designers, established in 1945, is a professional body for designers who operate in widely diverse fields of design practice. This web-site includes links to careers and qualifications required to work within this industry.

http://www.imeche.org.uk
The Institute of Mechanical Engineers, good careers link with profiles of people working within the industry and information of qualifications required.

http://www.desg.mod.uk
Placements / Sponsor / Training & Development in the Ministry of Defence, where jobs offered are mainly at graduate level.

http://www.qinetiq.com
QinetiQ adapt technology to meet high-level challenges, spearheading breakthroughs in industry. The company employs over 7,000 top scientists and engineers, assuring value and critical advantage in a tough, competitive world. This web-site provides information for careers within this industry.

http://www.dstl.gov.uk
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory are involved in creating the winning edge for UK Forces and Government through the best use of Science and Technology. This web-site provides information for the career opportunities and qualifications required to work in this area

http://www.motor.org.uk
The IMI is the professional association for individuals employed in the motor industry and the leading awarding body for qualifications in the automotive sector. A good site with plenty of information about careers and qualifications required to work in the motor vehicle industry

http://www.the-mia.com
The Motor sport Industry Association is committed to securing and developing the future of the motor sport industry and has produced an excellent guide to careers and qualifications required to work within the industry.

http://www.williamsf1.co.uk
This web site gives free and unbiased advice for those who might be interested in developing a career within the Formula One industry with plenty of careers and qualifications advice.

http://www.energyinst.org.uk
The Energy institute, a general interest web-site with some good information on careers within the petroleum industry

http://www.icheme.org
The Institute of Chemical Engineers has some good information on careers and qualifications required to work within that industry

http://www.setnet.org.uk
SETNET is the Science Engineering Technology Mathematics Network representing Government, Industry, the engineering professional Institutions, education and educational charities. SETNET is about ensuring that there is a flow of well motivated, high quality people from schools who have an interest in, and an understanding of, engineering related subjects.

There are opportunities for careers within the rail industry at all levels from apprenticeship to degree.

http://www.railway-technology.com
A general interest web-site with some careers advice which is directed more at post graduate engineering degree students.

http://www.cfrs.org.uk
The Centre for Rail Skills is an industry resource - set up by the industry, owned by the industry, and run by the industry. It is the public face of education, training, recruitment and careers in the UK rail sector.

http://www.hdstart.org.uk
Offers the opportunity to visit an engineering department of a university to find out what it is like to study for a degree in Engineering and Computer and Science, plenty of information on careers and qualifications

http://www.ucas.com
Further education & short courses/Universities/College information/ Undergraduate course search/Mature student guide/Studying in the UK

http://www.yini.org.uk
Year in industry Business award/contact details across country-Business & Engineering companies list

http://www.wisecampaign.org.uk
WISE aims to attract more girls and women into the Science, Engineering and Technology sectors, to support other organisations that enable girls and women to advance their careers and to support other organisations that ensure girls and women stay in these sectors.

Increasingly more women are entering into a career in Science and Engineering where they will often earn a higher salary and work in a more responsible position than in other careers, check out the two links.

http://www.set4women.gov.uk
The current Government has announced a new integrated approach to tackling the problem of the under-representation of women in science, engineering and technology in employment, education and policy making in the United Kingdom.