Anyone who follows what’s happening in the engineering sector knows that it’s a growing industry, rich with opportunities. There are an estimated 17,500+ openings for mechanical engineers each year, on average.
Further growth is expected over the forthcoming decade, driven by development and innovation as well as a skills and labour shortage. Since 2010, there has been a decrease of approximately 28,100 mechanical engineers in the UK – so fresh talent is in hot demand.
With the UK economy amidst uncertainty, you might be wondering which industries are a safe area to move into, or up in. Whilst the construction sector may or may not anticipate some slowdown in terms of commercial and residential developments, key infrastructure building is expected to support continued healthy growth in construction.
That makes construction an area that jobseekers and career-changers alike can still confidently invest their jobhunting energy and confidence in.
Vincent Gurney is a construction recruitment agency, so we’ve been keeping a close eye on the talent acquisition trends for 2023. That insight has allowed us to make a few construction recruitment predictions for 2023.
Each one demonstrates why you should certainly consider a new job in construction for the new year…
If you’re looking for employment opportunities in the engineering sector, a mechanical design engineering career could prove to be one rewarding path to take – but where do you start?
Vincent Gurney is an engineering recruitment company. Every year, we help people take the next step in their mechanical engineering career. To help those taking their first step into mechanical design engineering, this article will break down the basics and outline the qualities and qualifications you’ll need to make it in this exciting job market.
What does a mechanical design engineer do?
In a nutshell, a professional mechanical design engineer uses science and engineering principles to design, analyse, install and maintain mechanical systems. These could include manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, automotive, robotics, medical devices, weapons, and more.
One day, a mechanical design engineer could be creating solutions in the form of small component designs; the next day it could be for a system much larger in scale.
Every mechanical design engineer role will differ in scope, but generally speaking the job descriptions will include tasks such as:
Are there different types of mechanical design engineers?
The short answer is yes! People entering mechanical design engineering careers typically take one of two routes: construction or product/component development.
Fancy a job with a consulting firm, design service company or an organisation that handles interesting bids (perhaps government contracts)? Then you’ll likely enjoy a mechanical design engineering in the construction industry.
A mechanical design engineer in the construction industry will have the chance to apply for jobs such as an HVAC engineer, piping engineer, fire protection engineer or a building systems engineer. If this is you, might design the systems that operate within large commercial, industrial or manufacturing buildings.
Regarding product/component development, in this area of the mechanical design engineering sector, you would be developing components, systems, products and assemblies to meet specific project objectives. For example, you might create the thruster system used on a satellite. Pretty cool, right?
Which qualities are most important for mechanical design engineering jobs?
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking that a job in mechanical design engineering sounds ideal for you – but are you the perfect match for it in terms of personality?
As a recruitment company in Hampshire, we are experts in pairing the right job with the right person. The people we place in mechanical design jobs usually possess the following attributes. See how many you can tick off this list, too.
Are you a:
Like many careers, mechanical design engineers will require a competent level of IT literacy, too.
Will I need particular qualifications as well as the right personality?
Some proven engineering knowledge will obviously be expected when applying for mechanical design engineering jobs. Adverts for jobs in this area will ask applicants for qualifications such as:
- BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering
- BSc Building Services Engineering
- HND Mechanical Engineering
- MEng Mechanical Engineering
Those interested in this career path can further demonstrate their commitment with membership of The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE).
Can I transfer to mechanical design from another engineering discipline?
Lots of the mechanical design engineers transition into the role from associated areas such electrical engineering, public health engineering or fire engineering. Others move within sectors, for example oil & gas, rail, defence or automotive.
Every division of engineering has its own unique codes and standards to learn. Mechanical design engineering is no different. Previous experience in another sub-category of engineering will show potential employers that you have a sturdy foundation upon which to build specialist knowledge, so will work in your favour during job applications.
Vincent Gurney will help you identify where your transferable skills are, mapping them onto mechanical design engineer job descriptions in ways you might not have thought about before.
Let’s find your dream engineering job!
“We have several roles available here at Vincent Gurney, both contract and permanent. We’re always on the lookout for design engineers to place with the excellent clients we work with. So, whether you are just staring out in your career or a seasoned engineer, we want to speak with you!”
Are you an engineering candidate looking for a supportive recruitment consultancy to help you kickstart or progress your mechanical design engineering career? The friendly team at Vincent Gurney would love to talk to you about our range of mechanical design engineer jobs, so contact us today.