University of Liverpool Avionics and Aerospace BEng

[scottwarnick]

I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has attended the University of Liverpool and is now working in industry or from any that have an opinion on the quality of students that the Uni is putting into industry.

Thanks.

[blista1989]

Hiya,
I'm currently studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Bristol (not quite the experience you wanted but hopefully you'll find the information helpful.)

The only concern I would have with the course is that it is only a BEng. With so many people getting high class degrees, not just in engineering, the need to prove yourself is much higher than ever before. Hence getting a first class BEng will almost always be topped by someone with an MEng in the same subject. As such, the worth of the BEng degree is becoming lower as time progresses, this is why when I was looking at Unis (if that is the situation you are in?) I looked only towards those offering an MEng.

That's not to say getting a BEng is a bad thing at all, and with the relevant experience (i.e. placements etc) you could still compete for the top jobs however you may find it harder.

Please note however, this information is from what I have been told by lecturers/careers advisers etc. and not my personal experience from industry.

Cheers
Ali

[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.