Civil Engineering CAREER INSIGHT
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
Introduction Civil engineers design, construct and maintain the built environment and can work with a range of structures from bridges and railways to roads and buildings. You can opt to work as either a consulting engineer advising and designing projects, or a contracting engineer, turning the plans of the designers into reality and maintaining the structures once they are built. Planning for your career and gaining work experience throughout your course will benefit you when you graduate. Take advantage of work experience opportunities and networking events to develop your skills and find out which area of civil engineering most appeals to you. You could make a start by attending relevant events through your free student membership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). You should also consider setting up a LinkedIn profile and following relevant organisations and jobs boards through Twitter. Many employers use social media to post work experience opportunities so take advantage of using the sites to help you make links and find out more about what opportunities out there.
Career options: There are a wide range of sectors that recruit civil engineers and it is important to start researching possible career options as early as possible. The main sectors include: Airports, Bridges (e.g. Highways Agency, Network Rail), Buildings, Coastal and Marine, Environmental, Geotechnical, Highways, Rail, Oil and Gas, Water and Public Health. Some graduate Civil Engineer roles will have a specific focus on one of these sectors and you will be expected to demonstrate your interest in this area during the application process. The nature of the course ensures that LJMU graduates undertake a wide range of roles after completing their studies. In addition to undertaking the expected Civil Engineering role graduates have also undertaken the following roles: Project Manager, Site Engineer, Structural Engineer, Design Engineer, Geotechnical Engineer, Wind Engineer and Traffic Engineer. Employers of graduates have included Atkins, Jacobs, VolkerStevin, Mott MacDonald, Mouchel, AECOM, Bentley, Curtins, J Murphy & Sons, Arup, Carillion, URS, Kier, Siemens, United Utilities, Amey, Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, Bovis Homes, Costain, and Ramboll UK amongst others. The Prospects website includes a detailed overview of each of these roles www.prospects.ac.uk/options_civil_engineering.htm Civil Engineer Civil engineers are involved with the design, development and construction of a huge range of projects in the built and natural environment. Consulting civil engineers liaise with clients to plan, manage, design and supervise the construction of projects. They work in a number of different settings and, with experience, can run projects as a project manager. Contracting civil engineers turn the plans of consulting civil engineers (designers) into reality. They oversee the actual construction on the ground and work in conjunction with consulting engineers. Once plans have been drawn up and approved by the client, an engineering contractor uses their professional expertise to organise human and material resources on site, and ensure the project runs to time and budget and is safe to work on.
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering Contracting engineers ensure that all aspects of the construction project under their responsibility from ground works and foundations to final finishes - are completed within cost and time constraints and to client specification. All civil engineers need a good understanding of design and construction processes as well as of health and safety issues. Civil engineering offers many opportunities as well as the satisfaction of helping to improve and enhance public quality of life in many settings.
Structural Engineer Structural engineers design structures to withstand stresses and pressures imposed through environmental conditions and human use. They ensure buildings and other structures do not deflect, rotate, vibrate excessively or collapse and that they remain stable and secure throughout their use. Structural engineers have to choose appropriate materials, such as concrete, steel, timber and masonry, to meet design specifications. When construction has begun, they are often involved in inspecting the work and advising contractors. They also examine existing buildings and structures to test if they are structurally sound and still fit for purpose. Structural engineers have to make efficient use of funds and materials in order to achieve structural goals.
Water Engineer Water engineer is a generic title given to engineers who specialise in water-based projects; many have a civil engineering or environmental background. They may work with a variety of different liquids but generally deal with the provision of clean water, disposal of waste water and sewage and prevention of flood damage. Asset management plays a major part in a water engineer's job. This involves repairing, maintaining and building structures that control water resources, e.g. sea defence walls, pumping stations and reservoirs. Engineers have to constantly address new challenges and problems, which are caused by global warming, ageing infrastructure, population growth and higher quality living standards.
Site Engineer Site engineers perform a technical, organisational and supervisory role on construction projects, setting out and determining the location for above and underground infrastructural installations involved in construction operations. They apply designs and plans to mark out the site and can be involved in projects ranging from small scale to multi-million pound ventures. This may include civil, road, rail and other infrastructure projects.
Other options The majority of students commence employment in Civil Engineer-related roles but it is reported that approximately 60% of graduate roles are open to graduates from any course. Engineering students can demonstrate strong analytical and problem solving skills which are in demand across all sectors so there are opportunities for students who want to consider other options away from the built environment and engineering. For those wishing to stay within this environment then Project Management or Facilities Management could be possibilities.
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
MEng students will undertake a fourth year of study and focus on a ‘real life’ design project. This course also satisfies the educational requirements to become a Chartered Engineer whilst students completing a BEng are required to undertake further study to reach this status. When researching possible employers it is worthwhile exploring if they require applicants to be studying for a MEng or if a BEng is acceptable. There may be opportunities for BEng students to move on to the MEng programme if certain academic standards are met. Students have the options to complete their studies at BEng level and undertake further study to achieve an MSc. At this level of study you can start to specialise in a range of civil-engineering related areas such as: Design, Structures, Water and Energy, Transport and Environmental Management. Students completing a HNC may transfer on to the second year of the BEng Civil Engineering but those students who complete their studies after the HNC may seek employment as a civil engineering technician. Technicians support the work of civil engineers on construction projects. Working on structural, transportation, environmental or maritime projects, you will carry out a range of tasks, including creating design plans using CAD software and assisting with initial site surveys.
Possible employers Example of organisations who recruit Civil Engineering graduates include: •
Civil Engineering contractors/consultants (may have specialised positions available in rail, energy, water, structures etc) o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
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Railways o o
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Network Rail www.networkrailgraduates.co.uk Transport for London
Water and Energy companies o o o o o o o
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Jacobs: www.jacobs.com Amey: www.amey.co.uk WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff: www.wspgroup.com Costain: www.costain.com Ramboll UK: www.ramboll.co.uk AECOM: www.aecom.com JN Bentley: www.jnbentley.co.uk Curtins Consulting: www.curtins.com Arup: www.arup.com Carillion: www.carillionplc.com Kier: www.kier.co.uk Balfour Beatty: www.balfourbeatty.com WYG Group (Engineering Consultants): www.wyg.com AECOM: www.aecom.com/Careers AMEC: www.amec.com/careers Atkins: www.atkinsglobal.com/graduates BAM Nuttall: www.bamnuttall.co.uk/careers.html Laing O’Rourke: www.laingorourke.com/Careers Morgan Sindall: http://construction.morgansindall.com Mott MacDonald: www.mottmac.com Mouchel: www.mouchel.com/academy CH2M: www.careers.ch2m.com
Bibby Offshore: www.bibbyoffshore.com/ Crowder Consulting (Water supply and distribution): www.crowderconsult.com United Utilities: www.unitedutilities.com Sellafield: http://careers.sellafieldsite.co.uk/graduates/ Magnox: www.magnoxexperience.com Bibby Offshore: www.bibbyoffshore.com Nuclear Graduates (Scheme for the Nuclear industry): www.nucleargraduates.com
Local authorities: www.ngdp.org.uk/, www.lgjobs.com/, www.faststream.gov.uk
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering •
Government departments o o
Environment Agency – www.environment-agency.gov.uk The Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG): www.gov.uk/defence-engineeringand-science-group
Ensure you check entry requirements for each area, e.g. Is a 2:1 degree classification essential? Will you need to complete a MEng qualification rather than a BEng? Is any specific work experience required?
Useful links/websites • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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School of the Built Environment job website - https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/blt/ LJMU My Jobs & Placements website - http://ljmu.prospects.ac.uk/ Institution of Civil Engineers – ICE - www.ice.org.uk Gradcracker – Engineering and Construction – www.gradcracker.com Bromak (Construction Recruitment Agency) - www.bromak.com Careers in Construction – Jobs and careers information - www.careersinconstruction.com/ Construction Industry Training Board: www.citb.co.uk/careers-in-construction/ RICS Recruit: www.ricsrecruit.com/ Building 4 Jobs: www.building4jobs.com/ Graduate to Merseyside (graduate roles in small businesses on Merseyside) www.graduatetomerseyside.co.uk/ Construction News – keep up-to-date with sector news - www.cnplus.co.uk Prospects – Careers information and graduate jobs – www.prospects.ac.uk TargetJobs - Careers information and graduate jobs – www.targetjobs.co.uk New Civil Engineer: www.nce.co.uk Milkround – graduate jobs, placements & internships - www.milkround.com/
Follow relevant companies/websites through Twitter: • @LJMUCareers • @gradcracker • @icerecruit • @AByrneLJMU Sources of work experience As part of your course you will have the opportunity to complete a work placement. Gaining work experience in civil engineering is really important for your future career so you should definitely consider this option. Many of the large recruiters have summer and year-long placement opportunities available, which are usually advertised through websites such as Prospects, Targetjobs, Milkround and Gradcracker. The websites listed previously should be your first port of call when researching possible placement opportunities and your Careers Adviser, Andy Byrne, may have additional examples of possible employers who offer these opportunities. Some large employers will offer summer or sandwich placements year after year but you can also secure work experience through a more creative approach. Contacting companies directly through networking events, via email or through LinkedIn may lead to work experience. The School of the Built Environment has a specific member of staff (Angela Clarke) to support students in securing a year-out placement and jobs are placed on the first website listed on the previous page and emailed to students. It is important that you demonstrate that you are interested in the company and have spent some time researching what they do. Even when applying to secure work experience for the first time in this industry, show the employer what you have to offer. Briefly outline the relevancy of your course. Look at the skills
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering outlined above and try to discuss these in your CV, drawing on examples from your course and other work experience or extra-curricular activities to demonstrate these skills. LJMU has also been facilitating a summer internship programme for Level 5 students in recent years, so keep an eye on your LJMU inbox for details of any opportunities. Applications for summer internships or year-long placements with large employers are very competitive, so involvement in extracurricular activities, voluntary work or previous work experience can give you the edge over other candidates. It’s never too early to start getting involved in clubs and societies or to gain work experience, so start exploring relevant options early on in your studies. Useful websites to research a range of voluntary opportunities include http://www.do-it.org.uk/ and http://www.volunteeringliverpool.org.uk/. You could also contact LJMU Volunteering Manager Chris Prescott on 0151 904 6356 or c.j.prescott@ljmu.ac.uk to enquire about current opportunities. It is also worth researching relevant organisations/charities and contacting them directly to find out about voluntary roles on offer. Employers look for candidates with a range of experience and achievements. Download our miniguide on “Making yourself employable whilst at University” from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/Careers/123871.htm for an overview of the different types of work experience available and some general suggestions about finding work experience opportunities.
Recruitment schedules As with other engineering disciplines the demand for Civil Engineers has been relatively strong in recent years and graduate roles may become available at any time as companies start work on projects so keep looking for opportunities throughout the year. However, there are numerous graduate training schemes with large companies and government agencies. If you are interested in these roles you will need to be aware of the graduate recruitment cycle. Many recruiters begin the graduate recruitment process during the autumn term for final year students. Some placements are advertised then as well. Closing dates can be as early as October or November in some areas so it is important to start researching companies that you want to apply to early on. A number of large recruiters will continue to recruit throughout the year. The application process for graduate training schemes usually involves completing an online application form, which may require you to answer ‘competency based questions’. This may be followed by psychometric tests, a telephone interview and an assessment centre. You may also need to submit your CV. For more information about graduate schemes, download the ‘Graduate Schemes’ guide from https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/Careers/123871.htm. Many of these opportunities are advertised in the Prospects Directory and the Targetjobs Directory (available from the Careers Zones on the Prospects and Targetjobs website), on websites like www.milkround.com as well as on the organisations’ own websites. You may also find work through small or medium sized enterprises/businesses (SMEs). These types of companies don’t usually have structured training schemes but will recruit ‘as required’. They may use their own application form but many applications will be by CV and covering letter. These positions will be advertised on company websites, relevant recruitment websites and national and local newspapers. The ‘creative’ approach to job hunting, outlined above, is also important when looking for graduate roles. Making contacts and approaching organisations speculatively to look for work is a common route into employment. You can get advice about the recruitment process by booking a one-to-one appointment with a Careers or Employability Adviser or you can attend workshops at the Careers Zones.
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
Key events and networking • • •
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Liverpool Careers Fair: usually held in the autumn and spring of each year, see fairs website http://www.liverpoolfairs.org.uk/ for additional events Manchester Careers Fairs: open to students and graduates from any university; check http://www.careers.manchester.ac.uk/students/events/ for details Careers and Employability events at LJMU: Keep an eye on our events pages at https://worldofwork.ljmu.ac.uk/events/ for details of upcoming employability workshops, networking sessions and employer talks. You might be interested in the “Pursuing a career in clinical psychology” session we usually run once per semester. LiverpoolSU Clubs and Societies: http://ljmu.unioncloud.org/groups#club-society LinkedIn: You could also consider setting up a LinkedIn account (http://www.linkedin.com/) to network online with professionals and organisations in your chosen industry
Other information LJMU Enterprise Fellowship Programme – Support for LJMU students and graduates interested in starting up their own business. Further details can be found here: http://www.ljmu.ac.uk/startup/ including eligibility, timescales and training dates.
Careers Zone Our campus-based Careers Zones are based in the reception area of James Parsons Building at Byrom Street, in Aldham Robarts Library and in IM Marsh Library. Call in for help with any careers enquiries, to book an appointment with our advisers, pick up careers guides and resources, meet employers, book a practice interview and much more.
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
Case Study Daniel Bond completed his MEng Civil Engineering in 2015 and secured employment with United Utilities
What role did you secure and what did the application / selection process involve? How did you prepare for each stage? I secured the role of Graduate Civil Engineer at United Utilities and started in August 2015. The application process involved submitting a CV and covering letter, passing a telephone interview, an online questionnaire and finally the assessment centre. Along with the usual preparations such as researching the company and preparing answers to interview questions, I went to the Careers Centre for additional help. Andy no doubt provided insight and know-how to not only improve my CV and understanding of the application process but also helped me prepare in the latter stages which gave me an advantage over other applicants. I also spoke to my lecturers for their advice regarding technical civil engineering questions. What advice would you give other students to improve their employability? Be passionate! I researched a lot and attended a seminar by United Utilities relating to their application processes and graduate roles. I found it easy to be interested as it was the role I always wanted. My advice to other students would be to make sure you ask questions as it shows you are interested and not afraid to talk. I had questions prepared for the end of my telephone interview and also for my trip to the assessment centre. Start applying early, but make sure you keep on top of your coursework deadlines as well! You also want to be prepared as you can be. I would advise researching as much as possible and getting a draft CV prepared and then go to the Careers Centre to boost your chances of being accepted. It also helped me to speak to lecturers as they also have an idea of what employers will be looking for and the topics you may be questioned about at interview. For the assessment centre, it may seem obvious, but make sure you are on time! One applicant was late when I visited the assessment centre for United Utilities. Arrive early and have a coffee and some food to calm your nerves! What help and support did you access at the Careers Team and how was this useful? Initially I went for help improving my CV but found it to be much more useful. It was clear that the Careers Centre can help with all stages of the application process. Don’t forget that they will have helped students in previous years get the same role! What aspects of your degree were useful in the selection process to help you to secure this position? I think that one of the main aspects of my degree was the emphasis on presentations. I’ve heard that LJMU students have an edge over other students as they are more versed in presentation skills. Also I chose my dissertation to be related to wastewater treatment which directly links in with my role at united utilities. Another major aspect that is overlooked is safety awareness. United Utilities have a saying that “nothing we do is worth getting hurt for” and appreciated my safety awareness that I picked up working on site. This can also be learnt on site visits and by simply talking to people who have worked on projects, so make sure you go on site visits whenever you can and ask plenty of questions as it shows you’re interested.
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
Notes
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Career Insight: BEng/MEng Civil Engineering / HNC Civil Engineering
Notes
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