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Are UK engineers a dying breed?

With all the outsourcing going on in todays global economy, are UK engineers working in the domestric engineering sectors a dying breed? The automotive, manufacturing and the IT services; the cornerstones of traditional British Engineering, are increasingly being outsourced to china and india, and the UK is not traditionally a world leader when it comes to manufacturing high tech microelectronics with the exception of some small niches. Our industrial productivity is low compared to nations like Sweden, US and Germany. What are the prospects of future british engineers?

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Reply 1

River85

They aren't respected in this country (with great public ignorance).

If I were an engineering graduate I'd be looking to move abroad.

Reply 2

Pixels

What with the ongoing recession less engineering graduates will be heading into the city fresh out of uni. This means we'll be seeing more graduates looking towards industry to provide for them.

A lot of people i know at my sixth form have chosen to take an engineering course at uni so it's still quite a popular choice for the maths and science minded. I don't see engineers in the UK dying out just yet.

Reply 3

ttx

Lucy Pevensie

What are the prospects of future british engineers?

It's a global market, like any other intellect based job. You're either good in which case you do well, or you're bad and you do badly.

Reply 4

dynamic1

You need Maths, Physics, and often Chemistry and Further Maths to study Engineering, with less people studying them at A-Level and more studying Media, Psychology etc they are a dying breed.

Reply 5

Lucy Pevensie

dynamic1

You need Maths, Physics, and often Chemistry and Further Maths to study Engineering, with less people studying them at A-Level and more studying Media, Psychology etc they are a dying breed.

Or companies can choose to outsource the same jobs to India and China that will do it for slave wages, or let them come work here and we'll still be out of work. Im afraid our Queen is gonna be very disappointed at us :frown:

Reply 6

TheCasual

I love too be a engineer, thats what am working for. Hopefully am not too old next year when I apply for BAE Systems Appreteship

Reply 7

ticktockclock

I thought engineering was at the forefront of technology and that there is a lack of qualified engineers. Ofcourse the recession means some engineering jobs have to be lost but its not just engineering.

Reply 8

ELSHA

the only problem with engineers in this country is that theyre taken for granted, under payed and not respected as much as they should be

so my dad keeps telling me :smile:

hence why they toodel off over seas.

Reply 9

Lucy Pevensie

ELSHA

the only problem with engineers in this country is that theyre taken for granted, under payed and not respected as much as they should be

so my dad keeps telling me :smile:

hence why they toodel off over seas.

In which countries are they respected and better paid than UK? Is it America?

Reply 10

dynamic1

Lucy Pevensie

My friends brother studied Engineering, but he has no desire to pursue it, as it was'nt as well paid as his Finance chosen career path. Although this recession may reverse that trend.

Reply 11

carrotboy

The prospects of British engineers is to follow the work. Britain is a leading country for the training and education of engineers, and companies all over the world have demand for them.
However, it also depends on the type of engineering. For Civil Engineers, for example, work is continuous in the UK. The recession hasn't really hampered the CE industry by much. Mechanical Engineers may see themselves travelling overseas for work.

Design is another part of the engineering industry which many people forget about. The material built in China, India etc, are designed in the UK and then sent over.

Also, the news that the UK 'needs more engineers' surely says something about the industry? Perhaps the industry is improving rather than declining - although many sectors seem to be decreasing in size. Research plays another huge strong part in the UK - perhaps those engineers who can't find jobs in the making/design of products go into researching materials etc.

Reply 12

ELSHA

well im not the expert i only know this second hand from my brother and my dad -

my dads working in japan for 6OK a year - he was getting 30 here
he was in dubai last year - theyre begging for them over there

speaks for itself

x

Reply 13

jacketpotato

ttx

It's a global market, like any other intellect based job. You're either good in which case you do well, or you're bad and you do badly.

Absolutely.

There is a big difference between having nothing for engineers to do; and having not enough good engineers. It is much more the latter than the former.

Reply 14

eulerwaswrong

dynamic1

You need Maths, Physics, and often Chemistry and Further Maths to study Engineering, with less people studying them at A-Level and more studying Media, Psychology etc they are a dying breed.

youd be surpised how many do that exact combination.

Reply 15

Cheshire_Tom

I will most likely be moving and working abroad when I graduate. The typical salaries in this country available to engineers does not reflect the industry's demand for them.

Reply 16

Logan

If i get lucky, work here for a few years then go abroad. Ill go abroad straight away if theres an opportunity. I personally dont think the UK is an engineer's haven.

Reply 17

Peel

At present, it seems so. Having said that I'm hopeful that the government will step in before too long.

Reply 18

ttx

Lucy Pevensie

Or companies can choose to outsource the same jobs to India and China that will do it for slave wages, or let them come work here and we'll still be out of work.

Wages aren't low in India and China because the engineers need less money to live, they're low because the engineers aren't as good. Capitalism doesn't pay people by need, but rather by the scarcity of their talent.