European sector overview: engineering
A shortage of engineering skills across Europe is good news for graduates.
Engineering is one of the most international professions you can enter and Europe is host to some of the world’s top engineering organisations. All sectors of industry are present, from aerospace and automotive through construction, chemicals and energy to manufacturing, transport and utilities. Some of the more well known European players include EADS, Siemens, Philips, Bayer, DaimlerChrysler, Vodafone, L’Oreal and Shell. Many larger engineering firms not only have offices and operations across Europe, but also work closely with European suppliers. The engineering profession offers you the opportunity to travel, work on exciting and innovative projects and get your hands dirty with real work and responsibility early on in your career.
Internationally recognised qualifications
At present, there is no automatic recognition of any particular engineering qualification when an engineer leaves their country of qualification to work in another European country. European countries are divided into those that regulate access to the profession (more or less strongly) and those that do not. In the former case, an engineer who wants to use the professional title in the country where they wish to work must approach the relevant authorities in that country with a request for recognition will not be an issue.
The European Union countries have agreed on a process called ‘the formation’ of a professional engineer, which takes seven years and includes education, initial training and experience, and this forms the basis of the Fédération Européenne d’Associations Nationales d’Ingénieurs (FEANI)’s EUR ING qualification. This qualification is recognised in 26 European countries; the MEng degree studied in the UK is also widely accepted as a great foundation for engineering professionals.
Some countries, such as France, place an emphasis on students completing industrial training during their degree, while it is usual for students in the UK to gain most of their industrial experience after the completion of a degree. However, it is becoming increasingly important for students to have gained some practical experience in the workplace prior to graduation to demonstrate to employers that they can put theory into practice.
Job opportunities
A shortage of engineering skills across Europe is good news for graduates, who can market their skills to a larger number of employers in an increasing number of countries. The UK in particular is facing a shortage of civil engineers, a shortage that the government is trying to fill by relaxing work permit rules to allow overseas graduates to take up positions. It is also expected that there will be a shortage of engineers in the future in the
telecommunications and automobile industries, while Hungary and Slovakia are fast becoming centres of
excellence for assembly and research and development, opening up the engineering economy in Eastern and
Central Europe.
Issues facing the sector
Two main issues currently affect the European engineering sector. The first issue is the need to guard the
environment for the sake of both the planet and society. Engineers are actively involved in developing
technology and processes to support sustainable development aims: for example, the reduction of carbon
dioxide emissions through the research and development of alternative power sources and fuels.
Environmental engineering is a relatively new profession but one that will increase in importance in the future. But there are opportunities in this area for engineers across the spread of disciplines: for example, electrical and electronic engineers are needed to design the instrumentation used to monitor and control the release of pollutants. There are also more specialised requirements for land remediation, energy management and the development of cleaner technologies. Renewable energy technology is receiving a lot of attention and presents interesting challenges for engineers.
The second issue is a change in working practices brought about by the trend in the USA for concurrent
engineering. Concurrent engineering is where the engineer works as part of a broad multidisciplinary team,
including sales, marketing and managerial staff, to design the product concurrently right from the beginning of the process. The obvious result for graduates is that they will need to emphasise their communication and teamworking skills in applications in order to appeal to recruiters.
We are also in an era of novel technology development, enabling engineers to work on interesting, futuristic projects – for example, the implementation of an automated highway where cars are controlled by electronic sensors, reducing the number of accidents and leading to a smoother drive and a reduction in the amount of fuel used.
Skills recruiters look for
- Commitment, enthusiasm and motivation are essential for success in engineering.
- Taking the initiative and exhibiting a strong work ethic will get you noticed.
- Engineers rarely work in isolation, so being able to work in a team, support others and share knowledge is essential.
- Effective communication is crucial for engineering businesses to operate productively.
- Engineers need to produce solutions tomeet a commercial need, so knowledge of what is going on in the market is as important as keeping up to date with the latest technology developments.
In the news
- The UK, Ireland, Portugal, Norway and Spain are leading the way in developing technology to harness marine wave energy as a renewable power source.
- Research is underway in the UK into the use of quantum dot crystals as an efficient and less expensive way of producing solar cells.
- 3D-laser mapping is playing a key role in the development of robotic vehicles with the latest laser guidance technology, as well as in increasing the efficiency of wave energy converters.
More European career sectors to consider
This article has been viewed 1447 times.
Rating: 5 / 5 (2 votes cast for this article)
Rate this article:
Related articles