Engineering affects almost all aspects of our lives. People working in engineering are responsible for producing most of the things we use - from clocks to computers and from smartphones to ships! Engineers also provide industry with the machinery and tools needed to make products.

Those at every level of work in engineering - operatives, craftspeople, technicians and professional engineers all have a vital role to play. There are jobs involved in design, testing, installation, maintenance, repair, project management and other areas of work.

Below you'll find links to videos created by employers and organisations in the sector to help you get a taste of what working in this sector is like.

Videos:

Getting women into STEM

Careers in Aerospace: Four short video animations aimed at young people, teachers and parents to showcase some of the sectors within the aerospace industry and provide insight into the skills you will need and what route you can follow to find the job of your dreams. 

Aero stories – careers in aviation: Career ‘stories’ of aviation professionals.

Demystifying Engineering, career paths, apprenticeships and what it is really like. 

Subject Guide Videos:
An impartial guide to university courses - featuring expert speakers and on demand webinars.
These impartial videos support students who are considering university to make informed future subject decisions. They feature guest speakers from a range of different universities, who are always experts in the subject being explored.

Unifrog Free Webinars:

Live webinars across a variety of careers - requires booking.

Adviza Podcasts and Past Webinars:

Podcasts for Engineering

News article: Tomorrow's Engineers

We have recorded many useful webinars with a huge variety of employers and sector champions. Have a look in our Past Webinar section.

The webinars are in date order. You may want to check out these dates to find webinars in relation to Engineering: 

• 23rd May 2023 - Textile Industry
• 25th April 2023 - Armed Forces Webinar- Army
• 24th January 2023 - Careers in Aerospace.
• 8th November 2022 - Employer Webinar (Honda)
• 15th March 2022 - Employer Webinar (BMW)
• 30th November 2021 - Employer Webinar (Thames Water)

Don't forget to have a look at the upcoming webinars in our Events section!

Virtual work experience opportunities:

Speakers For Schools

Try different jobs in real life through free VWEX so you can find the best fit for you.  Speakers for Schools are a non-profit organisation offering free UK-wide work experience. 

Siemens Virtual Work Experience Program

Since the pandemic Siemens has created a virtual work experience program which combines a series of videos, live webinars and activities, to create an engaging and interactive experience for students all the while keeping people safe. The next virtual work experience program will be held in June/July 2022 with dates yet to be confirmed. 

Halliday Fraser Munro.

The two work experiences:

The Design Work Experience – This experience is made up of two tasks, the first to get you familiar with SketchUp and the second to design a house for a celebrity. (Approximate time to complete – 30 hours)
‍
The Technical Work Experience – Our newest work experience task is to design and construct a new-build contemporary extension using Revit. (Approximate time to complete – 30 hours)

Engineering Work Experience with Springpod: Love taking things apart and putting them back together again? Do you have an itch to know how things work? Engineering could be the career route for you!
In this programme we've looked at a whole load of career paths and specialisms within engineering from chemical to software- so you're bound to find something that interests you.

Mechanical Engineering with Springpod: Are you ready to discover what a career in mechanical engineering really looks like? As a mechanical engineer, you could pursue a whole host of diverse roles in industries such as sustainable transport, healthcare and sport. Sound interesting? Springpod and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers have partnered up to provide a fantastic programme to show you what’s out there within the vast and varied world of mechanical engineering.

ICE launches virtual work experience for 14-to-18-year-olds: Civil Engineers: Shaping the World, a virtual work experience programme designed to encourage young people to consider a career in civil engineering. It also aims to highlight the diverse ways the profession protects people and the planet and help tackle misconceptions about who civil engineers are and what they do.

Explore Forage Work Experience Programs  

Placements | EDT (etrust.org.uk) - Interested in some paid work experience?  YINI placements are available in a variety of companies and these are paid 12 month opportunities to gain knowledge, skills and work experience in the Engineering sector.  If you are interested, please sign up for the free webinar to find out more about it -

Wednesday 1 May 2024, 4-5 pm - EDT Placements Open Day Session

Please see the link for more details and to register for a place on the session -

Webinar Registration - Zoom

Media to Explore (Also see Science and IT)

Many young people have been inspired by TV shows, movies etc. to follow a particular career. We have collated some resources here for you to discover. We have included podcasts because they are the best way to get real insight into the industry’s current dynamics and are a great way to demonstrate knowledge and passion in personal statements and interviews.

Please note, we have not specified the platforms for these resources as they can change over time. We suggest you do a web search for the title – you will often find them on YouTube in their entirety. Some titles will only be available for a fee or subscription.

Please be aware that not all of the titles below are appropriate for all ages. Please check the age appropriateness before watching. Common sense media are a good resource to use to do this.

TV Factual: Abstract, The Art of Design, How it’s Made, Extreme Engineering, Mythbusters, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, Print The Legend, Dream Big: Engineering Our World

TV Reality:  Big Brain Theory

TV Drama: Silicon Valley, The Big Bang Theory

Film: Ready Player One, Apollo 13, The Matrix, Interstellar, Transcendence, The Martian

Radio & Podcasts:  BBC Sounds: Inside Science, The World Debate, The Life Scientific, Talking Infrastructure, Engineering Matters, If you were an Engineer, Designed For Life, The Structural Engineering Podcast, The Engineering Student Experience, Women Tech Charge, The Engineer’s Collective, Future Tech Health (Medical), Her STEM story, The Civil Engineering Podcast

Plus:

Check out these BBC sounds programs specifically on engineering. 

Useful Websites:

eCLIPS -  Engineering – areas of work. Use the eCLIPS website to see many other leaflets on different types of Engineering

National Careers Service – Engineering and Maintenance – links to a range of careers within these areas

Apprenticeships - Use the search bar to find Engineering apprenticeships

OXME - Oxfordshire County Council website for young people – includes vacancies for jobs and apprenticeships including science and engineering related 

Target Careers - Careers in Engineering 

Institution of Mechanical Engineers 

Institute of Civil Engineers - Specialist careers centre

Careers in Aerospace

For specific enquiries: [email protected]

WISE - Quiz and to identify how your own skills match up to STEM careers 

STEM Learning - Careers information for students 

STEM Learning - Resources to Support Promoting Women in STEM 

Royal Academy of Engineering - Case studies from female Technicians and Engineers  

The Engineer - Information on careers and developments in Engineering and information on different sectors 

Gradcracker – Graduate information on science, technology, engineering and maths careers 

The Year in Industry – Paid placements for school leaders and undergraduates 

A Graduate’s Guide to Becoming a Contractor. Contracting is a great way to get work straight out of university and will help you gain experience. Umbrella Contracting takes a look at how contracting works.

Careers in Engineering - BBC Bitesize - Engineering overview and LMI