EngineeringUK has previewed the findings of a new report which reveals nearly three-quarters of graduates who studied engineering and technology (72.5%) were in paid work for an employer 15 months after graduation. This is higher than that for graduates from all other subjects combined (69.7%) – highlighting the high demand for engineering and tech skills.
A significant proportion of people studying engineering and tech in higher education are going on to work in engineering. Of the engineering and technology graduates in paid work for an employer, 67.8% went on to work in an engineering occupation. And most of these (66.5%) are working in the engineering industry, up from 60% reported last year.
Encouragingly, engineers were significantly more likely to agree that their degree was relevant to their job than non-engineering graduates. Longer term career prospects also look promising as engineers were significantly more likely to agree that they feel ‘on track’ with their plans for the future compared to non-engineers.
Salary prospects are also good, with graduates in engineering occupations tending to earn more money than graduates in non-engineering occupations. Most engineering graduates said they were on a salary of between £25,000 to £30,000, or higher.
Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive at EngineeringUK, said: “Engineering and technology is a critical industry in the UK with a growing and exciting range of job opportunities – which makes it a popular degree subject choice. Our report highlights that engineering graduates can look forward to strong employability prospects, competitive salaries and can hit the ground running with their career ambitions shortly after graduating.”