Your Future in tomorrow's technology
A career in electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering

Things change so quickly that sometimes we feel tomorrow has already arrived! People working in today's electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering are making our world a better, safer and more enjoyable place for everybody.

Together, these professionals:

• Ensure that things work at the touch of a switch, from rockets to light bulbs
  
• Create goods like TVs, CDs, mobile phones and computers, everyday products we all want
  
• Make certain that the quality is right and the products do the job they were deigned to do
  
• Devise new and better systems, like communication satellites or advanced medical equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer

As society demands more, technologists face new and bigger challenges. In tomorrow's world, these men and women, these electrical, electronic and computer engineers, will continue to lead the way in robotics, the information super highway and the application of intelligence ... plus develop innovations not yet imagined! Dreams will be transformed into reality thanks to the skills of the design, development and manufacturing engineers who make it all happen.

Your future in tomorrow's technology is already here.

People in the profession

People who work in this challenging profession take on all kinds of roles. People like:

• Men and women working in research, design and development
  
• Process and manufacturing engineers
  
• Software and systems engineers
  
• Information technologists
  
• Sales and marketing engineers
  
• Human resource specialists
  
• Consultants
  
• Project managers

With so many opportunities it's hard to know where to start. At the core, there are three main sectors:

• POWER
  
• ELECTRONICS
  
• COMPUTING AND CONTROL

Within these three sectors there are sub sections which are enormously important in their own right: transport for example, or telecommunications or microelectronics. What's more manufacturing engineering supports all these activities and it too offers lots of opportunities.

So, there are many occupations within one profession, and each dependant on the other. These teams of individuals, each with different kinds of specialist knowledge, share an understanding of technological principles. The knowledge, skills and ideas they all bring to the solution of problems makes work both exciting and enjoyable.

What do they say?

Here's what some young, professional electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineers have to say about their career choice and their future in electrical engineering.

I wanted a career that would offer me variety and a constant challenge. I made the right choice!
Mark Whittington, Project Engineer

At 6th form college I attended an 'Insight into Engineering' course and decided this was for me.
Rachel Gambro, Manufacturing Engineer

It's a different challenge, if not every day, then every week.
Clare Caswell, Telecommunications Engineer

Engineers never get bored - they're always being challenged by some interesting problem.
Roger Lee, 2nd year sponsored student, Cambridge University

The best pair will be commissioning a control system for the Herschel telescope in the Canaries.
Victoria Austin, Electronics Engineer

It's hard work but the satisfactions make it more than worthwhile. Paul Denton, 2nd year sponsored student, University of Southampton

If you like technology and you want to work with people as well as accomplishing something tangible, then electrical engineering is for you!
Tariq Khan, Electrical Distribution Engineer

There are many career paths open to anyone choosing electrical/electronic engineering. You'll never be tied down to one sort of job. You can do anything!
Joanne Dodds, Traffic Control Engineer

Choosing a degree course

You may like to try for a company sponsorship to assist you financially during your time at university. Even if you are not sponsored you may have an opportunity to spend some time in industry - you'll find it a worthwhile and enjoyable part of a higher education experience.

Degrees in electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering are not all the same. It's a bit like the industry - plenty of choice and variety. Some courses are longer than others. Some provide more time with companies, perhaps as a sandwich course student. Some universities are flexible about the subjects you choose to study. Increasingly there are chances to combine engineering with management or languages or other subjects, to broaden your qualification.

There are many universities and higher education colleges offering degrees that satisfy the strict quality standards of the IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers), the professional body. A complete list is set out in the IEE's Engineering Degrees booklet which you should find in your school or college careers library, or contact the IEE at:

The Institution of Electrical Engineers
Educational Activities
Michael Faraday House
Six Hills Way
Stevenage
Herts SG1 2AY

Tel: 01438 767373
Fax: 01438 742856

Email: nsaunders@iee.org.uk
Internet: www.iee.org

ABOUT THE IEE

The IEE is one of the largest and most professional societies in the world catering for all electrical, electronics information, manufacturing, software and control engineers. There are in excess of 130,000 members, which includes a student base of 15,500. As a member of the IEE you will be offered unparalleled opportunities for your professional development and for keeping yourself up to date with the rapid changes in technology.

By becoming a member of a professional body such as the IEE you will gain instant professional recognition. MIEE status shows you are serious and committed to your career and could help you land that all-important first job. It is also a prerequisite to starting on your path to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

The global marketplace, rapid rate of technological change and shifting employment patterns present both uncertainty and opportunity. The IEE can help lessen uncertainty and increase opportunity by offering members a professional home wherever they live or work as well as the promise of support throughout their careers and study.

The IEE accredits degree courses throughout the world as well as post-graduate industrial training schemes. It organises well over 1,000 events each year ranging from lectures to major conferences all aimed at spreading best practice. It publishes approximately 25 technical periodicals as well as 20 new books annually; it provides distance learning packages; it operates the world's leading database in electronics and physics as well as more traditional information services and it keeps its members' skills up to date via a vigorous Continuing Professional Development programme.

As a technical authority it is responsible for the Wiring Regulations - the British Standard to which the industry works -as well as playing a major part in many other areas of national and international standards through such bodies as CENELEC and IEC. It acts as the voice of the profession and sets standards of conduct for that profession.

The IEE is involved in schools with its own Education Service aimed at supporting teachers of science and technology and organises the annual Faraday Lecture - probably the World's biggest touring lecture which visits approximately 15 cities in under six months, attracts a live audience of over 50,000, mostly young, people and many hundreds of thousands more via satellite in North America, Canada and Europe. The lecture is also shown in Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia on a regular basis.

The IEE has branches and Centres to cater for all its members living and working around the World. These groups range from China and Hong Kong to Australia and Europe including a number currently being established in Eastern Europe.

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