Join the thousands who are engineering a bright future
It’s estimated that the UK needs 203,000 new engineers every year until 2024, so it’s worth investigating careers in engineering.
Civil engineer Helen Gregory, an assistant project manager at transport for London (tfL), is involved in transforming the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, so more trains can run.
she says: ‘I liked art and maths and wanted a career combining creative and technical skills. It was only when I looked at university courses that I realised the variety of careers engineering offered.’
she studied for her degree in structural engineering and architecture while gaining work experience in engineering practices. she then joined the tfL civil engineering graduate scheme.
‘It involves moving around parts of the business and working on different projects. I chose the project management sector,’ she says.
Helen worked on the upgrade of tottenham Court Road station, ensuring its glass plaza was built properly. she says: ‘It’s very satisfying to be part of the team that helped build it. there are more careers in engineering than people think. We need more women, too.’
tfL also offers apprenticeships that lead on to a degree while getting paid. see tfl.gov.uk/corporate/
careers/ for more details. Dr Joanna Cox, head of policy at the Institution of Engineering and technology, says: ‘Engineering and technology careers can involve working on projects with a global impact. there are also opportunities in cyber security, robotics, AI and digital technologies.’
n Engineering Open House Day (August 3) is a chance to see what engineering involves. See also www.engineer-a-betterworld.org/whats-on