Food manufacturing and energy sectors strong bets for careers

Your engineering degree could take you into any number of sectors. The energy and food industries are among those offering good prospects for graduate jobs.

Energy sector strength

The energy sector is performing strongly, with positive developments in both ‘green’ and traditional areas.

• In early 2012, BP announced that it is increasing its graduate recruitment by 50%.
• The nuclear new-build programme of eight new nuclear power plants received the final go-ahead in October 2011. Before that, back in January, Cogent, the sector skills council for science-based industries, estimated that the nuclear industry needs an additional 7,000 workers before 2017.
• Oil services company Aker Solutions announced in August 2011 that it is to create 500 new jobs in the UK, a number of which will be graduate engineering jobs.

Renewable energy projects and support continue apace in 2011 – good news for graduate engineering jobs in the long term.

• The chancellor announced in the Budget that a new green energy bank will be established, with initial capital of £3 billion to invest in areas such as renewable energy.
• Doosan Power Systems revealed that it will invest £170 million in Scottish wind power over the next ten years, which it expects to create 1,700 jobs in total. The work will begin with an R&D centre, to be followed by a manufacturing and assembly facility.
• Humber Wind Limited, a subsidiary of E.ON, received planning permission for the new Humber Gateway Wind Farm, to be sited 8km off the Holderness coast of Yorkshire.
• E.ON also was granted planning permission to build a new wind farm near Garve in the Scottish Highlands.
• The Hebredian Marine Energy Futures projects were awarded £900,000 from the Scottish Funding Council to explore the potential of waters to the west of the Outer Hebrides for commercial wave power development.

Industry body Engineering UK’s recently published annual report, The State of Engineering, commented positively on the prospects for growth of environmental applications of engineering. Considering the worldwide market, it concluded: ‘The low carbon and environmental goods and services sector had a market value in 2008/09 of £3.2 trillion, with 1.4 million companies employing about 28 million. By 2012/14, its worth is forecast to grow to £3.8 trillion – provided a skilled workforce is available.’

• Research graduate careers in the oil and gas sector
• Research graduate careers in power generation
• Research graduate careers with BP

Career openings in food and drink manufacturing

The food and drink manufacturing sector is also looking a good bet for jobs. In November 2011 the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) reported that the sector will need 45,000 new recruits in managerial and professional roles by 2017. Meanwhile Nestlé announced shortly after that it is to double the number of graduate jobs it offers, from 25 in 2011 to 50 in 2012. This comes as part of an overall £110 million investment in its Derbyshire coffee manufacturing facility, which will create 300 new jobs in total.

• Research graduate careers in food manufacturing