Discover your path to a world of career opportunities
Whether you’d like to chart the route to a sustainable travel network, re-purpose historic buildings to address the housing shortage or design the infrastructure and green spaces of the smart cities of the future, a career in consultant engineering allows you to progress, pivot and pioneer your own career path.
You’ll find a wide variety of roles throughout this industry, with working environments from large multinational companies to small specialist consultancies and in-house roles with major institutions like Network Rail, the NHS and Local Authorities.
Whether you’re deciding which subjects to study at school, entering the job market or interested in a career change, the fast-paced world of the built environment offers exciting career prospects where you can play your part in designing the future.
Choosing to study these topics at school, especially if you have access to specialist engineering courses, is a great head start on your future career.
Many roles in the sector have an additional specialist focus, like restoration or environmental concerns, so topics like History and Geography can also come in handy!
If you’re getting ready to leave school, talk to your career advisor about the types of roles you’re interested in. They may be able to help you find an apprenticeship or college or university programme that could put you on course for your ideal job.
Whether you studied an accredited or specialist subject relevant to a particular role or if you’re exploring the sector for the first time, talk to your careers service about the areas you’re interested in. They’ll be able to help you identify any postgraduate or professional qualifications you’ll need to undertake and put you in touch with job opportunities and specialist graduate trainee programmes at many of the industry’s biggest employers.
You can also join the ACE Emerging Professionals Group and start building your network of other young professionals in the industry.
If you’ve been working in another role and want to make a change, consider what transferrable skills and practical experience you can offer.
Have you been working in domestic building trades and feel ready to step up to be Site Manager on an infrastructure project? Could your Project Management role in another sector have prepared you for a switch? Many positions offer work-based learning and sponsored qualifications, so don’t hold back from exploring your options.
You can also investigate specialist qualifications, training and CPD options from industry bodies such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation, the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors.
With entry requirements ranging from apprenticeships to specialist degrees and degrees accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), there are exciting new career paths for school leavers, graduates and career-changers alike.
