Developing Engineers

The Big Bang Fair 2011 (Photo by G S Hartill)

On Saturday 12th March 2011 I was at the Big Bang Fair at London’s ExCeL Centre in Docklands helping out with the careers speed networking event. The fair was bigger and better than when I last volunteered a couple of years ago with highlights including Bloodhound SSC, Lara Croft’s Land Rover,  Flying Penguins and the traditional build as big a structure as you can out of newspaper!

Bloodhound SSC (Photo by G S Hartill)

Festo Air Penguin (Video courtesy of Festo via YouTube)

I thought I’d share some of the advise I gave to the GCSE students in the speed networking careers session…..

> When choosing your A Levels, choose the subjects you’re best at; you’re more likely to enjoy a subject if you’re good at it. For most engineering disciplines maths and a combination of the sciences are usually required.

> If you want to go to university, going to the best universities isn’t the be all and end all. Obviously if you can get into one of them great, but choosing your uni based on how much you think you’ll enjoy living in the city is also important.

> Aim to get the best degree possible. Most larger engineering companies require at least a 2.1.

> However, just getting a good degree isn’t necessarily enough these days; relevant engineering work experience is vital. Aim to get at least some work experience during every summer holiday throughout university. The more the better. Alternatively go for a sandwich course and take part in the Year In Industry scheme.

> When applying for jobs, make sure the information on your CV is relevant. Most engineering employers won’t really care if you worked in McDonald’s when you were 16.

> Applying for companies that have an accredited gradute training scheme will usually ensure you have a structured training programme (e.g. IMechE’s Monitored Professional Development Scheme)  giving you the best chance of developing the required competencies for professional registration.

And finally, congratulations to Andrew Cowan, for being awarded Young Engineer of the Year in the National Science & Engineering Competition 2011. The Search & Rescue Robot he designed and built was brilliant.