08 Mar Celebrating National Careers Week by highlighting rewarding careers in engineering
We’ve been reflecting on National Careers Week, a week dedicated to career opportunities in the UK. The celebration highlights the resources and guidance available to young people looking to start their career journey as they exit school, college or university.
Schools and colleges have dedicated career advisers to provide guidance to students. Advice can also be found online through the National Careers Service, provided by the UK government to help anyone aged 13 or over with tips on starting a career, understanding the recruitment process, identifying your existing skills and much more.
Engineering careers in the UK
A career in engineering can be hugely rewarding. With 18% of the UK’s population working in the field¹, the sector is incredibly broad and requires an injection of skilled workers to fill the gaps. So plenty of opportunity for next generation engineers to get stuck in and find a role that suits them.
The engineering sector is dominated by small or medium sized enterprises, so it’s very common for graduates or apprentices to start their careers in smaller, independent organisations.
Roles can vary, there’s many different career paths to choose from, you could be a:
- Machine Operator
- Toolroom Machinist
- Toolmaker
- Process Engineer
- Quality Technician
- Production Administrator
- IT production Assistant
- Accountant
- Sales Representative
- Financial Controller
- Administrative Assistant
These roles are equally essential to an efficiently-run factory, plant or engineering business and each job is as important as the next. There is always room for career development in engineering and many people even make the jump from one role to another to enhance their skillset and progress in their career.
Supporting young people in engineering careers
At Dawson Shanahan, we are dedicated to supporting young people looking for a challenging but rewarding career, where there is a great opportunity to develop life-long skills through practical work in a busy environment. We offer opportunities at every level:
Graduate Interns – for those who have just graduated from university.
Placement students – for those looking to get work experience whilst studying at university.
Apprenticeship opportunities – for those who may have just left school or college, who may not have any previous experience and want to be trained on the job through both practical and theoretical work.
Our apprentices have varying roles and can learn and train in any area of the company, whether that may be in toolmaking or IT. This unique opportunity allows young people to gain hands-on valuable experience in an engineering environment. Find out exactly what an apprenticeship in engineering can do for you in our blog.
What having a career at Dawson Shanahan means to our employees
Hear from some of our employees below, whether they’ve worked in engineering for over 30 years, or they’re just starting out in their career….
Dillon Gill – Production IT Apprentice – “At Dawson Shanahan, you get to work with a great team of people and some I can now call not just work colleagues but friends. I am lucky that the company has supported me and given me the opportunity to learn and progress. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for me at Dawson Shanahan.”
Rowan Davies – Toolmaker – “Dawson Shanahan has given me the support to advance to a higher academic level allowing me to study to Level 4 HNC Mechanical Engineering. The best thing about working here is that I have a direct input and influence in the improvement, efficiency and quality of work being produced in the toolroom by effectively utilising our current machining capabilities and other resources available.”
Amy Hamer – Quality Technician – “The best thing about working at Dawson Shanahan for me is they have given me the opportunity to learn and progress within the company, I have also met some amazing people over the years and made some great friends.”
Joyce Gwalchmai – Machine Operator –“The best thing about working at Dawson Shanahan for me is the friends you make here. I am lucky to work with such a great group of individuals.”
If you live in a commutable distance from our Welshpool office and are curious about a career in engineering, contact us today to find out more about the opportunities we have available.