Spotlight on: Women in STEM – how to get into the ‘E’

To celebrate Women in Engineering day, we’ve put together a guide on how to engineer the start of your career.

As an Engineer, you will solve problems by researching, designing and managing the process of making new technology. You'll work on a huge range of things - cars, aircraft, roads, bridges, computers, nuclear power stations, mobile phones - the list goes on.

What skills do I need to become an engineer?

·??????great technical ability

·??????an interest in maths, science, and technology

·??????English language skills to write reports and to explain things clearly to others

·??????to combine a logical approach with creativity and imagination to solve problems

The usual route to become an Engineer is to take a relevant engineering degree, foundation degree or Higher National Diploma (HND). Apprenticeships are also available.

What does an engineer do?

As an Engineer, you will use scientific principles to find creative solutions to practical problems. Your work will be incredibly varied and impacts upon everyone's lives, through areas such as construction, manufacturing, processing, communications, transport, fuel and medical technology.

The work carried out by Engineers is wide ranging. At any stage of a project, you might be involved in:

·??????planning the project

·??????carrying out feasibility studies

·??????building and testing prototypes

·??????research and design

·??????diagnostic studies to find causes of problems

·??????meetings with colleagues and clients

·??????site visits and report writing

What types of engineering is there?

·??????mechanical engineering - The design, manufacture and maintenance of all moving parts of machinery. This is a very diverse area, including everything from the design of Formula 1 cars, installing gas turbines in industry, or helping with a charity project.

·??????chemical engineering - This covers changing raw materials into a wide range of useful products, such as plastics, dyes, drugs/medicines, paints and cleaning products.

·??????electrical engineering -?Generating and supplying power to homes and businesses.

·??????electronics engineering - Developing products that use electricity, such as computers, satellites and digital televisions.

·??????civil engineering - Designing and building structures such as roads, bridges, airports and tunnels.

Where could I work?

Employers are firms in:

·??????manufacturing

·??????energy

·??????communications

·??????construction

·??????computing

·??????transportation

·??????chemical

·??????water

·??????robotics

·??????marine and offshore industries

·??????government departments

·??????the armed forces

For more information on engineering, visit our website: https://careerswales.gov.wales/job-information/engineer