Any Mechanical Engineers on here

tea_lover

I work for a large engineering company and we take on and train a lot of apprentices. Can be a great route into the industry.

NY1986

Would also say a statistics GCSE if that's available (it was 10+ years ago - I didn't do it though).

When I was doing my maths A level the applied element had mechanics as one of the units.

sufcfan1

While have upmost respect for those that have a degree (and i have been there myself), it is not the be all and end all in engineering.

I studied a Mech Eng degree for 2 years, and hated it, so i left in the end.

I gained a place as a Technician Apprentice working for a large defence company. I have an HNC, HND, SVQ Level 3 and most importantly experience. All of this was paid for by the company, while they paid me at the same time.

And at the end of the 4 years i ended up earning more than some/most of my friends who finished Uni, if they could even find a role in industry.

And with a bit of luck i will be starting a degree course in September which my work would give me leave for and pay the fees.

If you live near one of the big defence company sites (BAE, Babcock, Thales, Raytheon etc or even the RAF, RN or Army) phone and ask if they might be able to take work experience. Im sure others will too, its just thats where my experience is.

Its a good route into industry, well worth looking into.

If you would like any more information then PM me.

m0nkeylover

I'd echo what has already been said, an apprenticeship is probably the best route in to industry, gaining valuable experience whilst earning and learning.

It's the route i took and I wouldn't do it any differently if i had another chance . At 22, 10 years ago, i was already earning £40k+ whilst a few of my mates were just coming out of uni with debts of half of that and really struggling to find work.

Getting a decent job as a graduate engineer is not as simple as some people seem to think, employees want that experience too.

k12479

Take a look around this website: http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/11-14/

torbrex

As a time-served toolmaker, I would echo what others have said about trying for an apprenticeship first, I have met far too many qualified engineers that knew nothing about the basics of the job as all their learning had been on paper.
The really good engineers are the ones that understand the problems that can get thrown up when trying to convert a drawing into a product.

tea_lover

m0nkeylover wrote: »

Getting a decent job as a graduate engineer is not as simple as some people seem to think, employees want that experience too.

Very true. My employer (huge, multinational engineering company) takes on far more apprentices than graduates.

OP - feel free to PM me for more info if you'd like. I don't want to say who I work for on here!

Gillyx

My OH is an engineer, he studied mechanical but is now a quality engineer. With his company, there are no apprenticeships, the only route in is through gaining a degree.

My OH loved his time at uni and the salary he walked into straight from uni, wasn't to be sniffed at so I wouldn't always advocate bypassing uni. The company themselves are well renowned and are very good to there employees.

Would agree with the others r.e the maths, physics and chemistry.


Edit: that's to say he didn't pay the sort of fees they're looking at it now in England for university so that could have a considerable impact on decisions.

neon_dannii

Apprenticeships are good, but so are degrees. Just depends on what sort of engineering he enjoys. My bf and his friends would not have been able to do the jobs they are doing now without their degree and industrial placements as the jobs specs specified degrees.

Anyhow, your son is young so just leave it and see. As long as he continues with maths and sciences it should all be good for his future decisions.

carolan78

My Hubby is a Mech Eng, I would also suggest the apprenticeship route rather than a degree. Although there's graduate programmes out there a lot of companies prefer someone with hands on experience.

He should also look at becoming a duel engineer because more and more are seeking people that can do both Mech and Electrical. He can specialise in Mech and do a PLC course at a later date though...just something else for him to think about.