University of Liverpool Avionics and Aerospace BEng

[portsharbourflyer]

Blista,

There still tends to be a shortage of Engineering graduates (although I am not sure that the situation is quite so good as when I graduated), so I still think there shouldn't be too much problem for a BEng holder to find some kind of graduate engineering position (even if this may mean having to work in general/mechanical engineering rather than for a specific aerospace firm).

The fact that the Engineering council changed the requirements for chartership from three years to four years of acedemic study now means that an MEng or a BEng+MSc are needed in order to get chartered. Hence it is likely that the Blue Chip firms offering structured graduate training schemes will now want those that have the acedemic requirements for chartership. I do not blame the UK Engineering councils for this as I expect there was some kind of call for this from either International or European organisations.

I personally feel that this is a move in the wrong direction in industry as a Mech Eng BEng grad with a years experience is more useful than an Aero MEng grad with no experience; however I am not in charge of recruitment at a blue chip firm so my opinion counts for little.


I never pursued chartership while I was in the Aero engineering sector and
I never found this to be any disadvantage. I would recommend that in order to find the first job try and target some of the smaller sub-contract design offices rather than the major "blue chip" firms; career progress can be quicker in these firms than that at the Blue Chips.

Most of these firms will find a Batchelor to be an adequate thoeretical foundation; for any technical specialisation you undertake in industry it is likely that you will have only studied two or three relevant modules during your degree. Quite often the acedemic content of an HND was sufficient for most positions undertaken by graduates (infact some of the best analysts I know only ever held HNDs). That said agencies were more often or not asking for a degree for most positions. Remember it is in industry you will really learn the trade anyway and you will soon realise experience counts for more than academic qualifications. MEngs grads were always more likely to end up on "fast track management" schemes than a BEng holder in the past. To be truthful the industry needs technical specialists not more project managers. However the emphasis on the requirement for an MEng is a regulatory reason and not really a reflection of the tangible skills or knowledge required in industry.