Jobs UK: Engineering

The UK’s lack of qualified engineering candidates is good news for foreign engineers interested in working in Britain. Industry experts are reporting an urgent need to recruit high-caliber young people to replace qualified engineers due to retire over the next ten years. In a bid to try to ease the shortage, the Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) has launched a new website designed to recruit recent graduates into the engineering industry. As part of its engineering connections initiative, the EEF is inviting employers to register their apprenticeship vacancies on the web.

The basic requirements for working as an engineer in the UK include an accredited BEng (Hons) degree, or equivalent and approved training and assessment through a professional review by a relevant engineering institute. The Engineering Council (UK) maintains a Register of Professional Engineers who are recognized as having met stringent standards of education, training, and professional competence. This register is the defining List of Chartered Engineers (CEng), and the Chartered Engineer is required to be a Member or Fellow of a nominated Engineering Institution.

All of these institutions maintain websites, which contain a great deal of valuable information for engineers. Trade associations such as the Engineering Employers Foundation, publishes reports about the state of engineering in the UK and Europe, news and information about issues pertinent to the industry, and information about job opportunities.