Engineering

There are many branches of engineering, but the two main ones are mechanical and electrical/electronic engineering. Mechanical engineering is about items that move – engines, motors, generators and turbines – and the gears and levers that deliver and produce power. Electrical engineers deal with power generation and power supply, crucial to providing the energy needed to light buildings and run TVs, as well as keeping the wheels of industry turning. Electronic engineering is about the way electricity is used to control equipment, including telecommunications and computers, and controls for everything from satellites to washing machines.

Engineering offers an excellent and rewarding career, and provides huge variety and scope for anyone looking for something more challenging than the routine. Engineers have to enhance their skills continually as processes and technology change. Modern manufacturing techniques usually make replacement of a faulty component more cost-effective for the consumer than its repair. Much of the traditional role of the maintenance engineer has changed accordingly, particularly in the electronics field, with removal and re-installation the norm.

Engineering in the Services

All three Services have a range of highly qualified individuals in most aspects of engineering. Qualifications after training range from Master’s degrees, through National Certificates and Diplomas to NVQs at Level 2, with institute membership at the appropriate grade being available to most professional engineers.

Officers will almost certainly have a relevant degree, and will usually be experienced in project management. Artificers in the Royal Navy, members of the Royal Engineers, Royal Signals and REME in the Army, and Chief Technicians and many Junior Technicians in the RAF are extremely well-qualified engineers. They may hold a degree or the equivalent, HND/HNC or Level 3 qualifications. They will probably use their expertise on different equipment when they leave, but they will have an excellent knowledge of the principles.

A number of other people specialise in engineering, working on whole equipments, or components and at the same time gathering qualifications and experience that transfer well into a subsequent career. Qualifications for entry into these trades vary but GCSEs in physics, maths and English are often required. Typically, entrants will start with Level 2 qualifications and work progressively towards Level 3 and then on to Level 4. Many units also have small teams of people with basic engineering skills.

Qualifications and training

Qualifications are needed to work in any branch of engineering. The academic ones vary from degrees (with over 2,500 different courses to choose from) through Higher National Diplomas (HNDs) and Higher National Certificates (HNCs), to National Diplomas (NDs) and National Certificates (NCs). Vocational qualifications include Vocational A-levels, General National Vocational Qualifications, Advanced Modern Apprenticeships (AMAs) (Level 3), Foundation Modern Apprenticeships (FMAs) (Level 2), National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs).

Engineering Council

The Engineering Council is the engineering profession’s lead body; it registers all engineers who have met standards of education, training and professional competence. The Register has three sections:

- Chartered Engineer (CEng) – equates to Officer ranks and experience

- Incorporated Engineer (IEng) – equates to Warrant Officer

- Engineering Technician (EngTech) – equates to Sergeant and Corporal technicians.

The academic standards required for each section of the register are:

•CEng – honours degree or equivalent

•IEng – degree or HND with extra learning modules

• EngTech – Level 3 qualification or equivalent.

All registrants must be a member of an engineering institution, which carries out all the registration and membership processes.

The institution of the relevant engineering discipline

Many institutions will only admit people who are CEng or who are working towards chartered status. Others will accept people employed in the functional engineering area in question at different levels. A typical grade structure might be:

- Student

- Associate Member

- Member

- Fellow.

The Institutions of Electrical Engineers and Mechanical Engineering are the natural choice for people with degrees and higher qualifications.

Institution of Incorporated Engineers (lIE)

The IIE admits people at or working towards IEng and/or EngTech status; it has no CEng members. It has members at the following grades:

- Associate

- Associate Member

- Member

- Fellow.

Other qualifications

Each branch of engineering has its own specialist trade qualifications, relevant to its role. Institutions, trade associations, national training organisations and sector skills councils know what these are and can advise on how they can be obtained.

Employment

The most highly qualified people (degrees and above) generally plan and manage engineering projects, with those at the next level of expertise supervising their implementation, and the least skilled people actually doing the work. Experience leads to the ability to undertake bigger and better tasks, while academic and vocational qualifications make it possible for the individual to develop and move up the career ladder.