R%S%@RCH TARGETjobs Sector Student and Recent Graduate Survey August 2013 We asked undergraduates with an existing interest in engineering careers about their plans, expectations and concerns about a career in engineering and we compared their views to students interested in other sectors of work. This report also contains findings from a separate survey of recent graduates working in the engineering sector. GTI Media Ltd, August 2013. The ideas, concepts, printed matter and graphics portrayed in this document are the copyright of GTI Media Ltd, part of Group GTI. They may not be copied, reproduced or used without the prior written permission of GTI Media Ltd. Note on charts To avoid fractions, percentages in charts have been rounded down or up and therefore do not always add up exactly to 100. Where respondents were asked to choose more than one answer, the total percentages will always exceed 100. 1
Introduction and key findings Introduction All students registered on targetjobs.co.uk who had told us that they were interested in engineering careers were invited to participate in an online survey, which was live for two weeks in April 2013. It was also promoted on the @Tjobs_EngTech twitter feed. There were 744 student respondents from a wide range of universities but the top six for responses were: Loughborough, Imperial College, Newcastle, Cardiff, Southampton and Edinburgh. 69 per cent were male. 87 per cent were studying engineering degrees with the rest fairly evenly divided between physical sciences, computing and maths. 2 per cent were studying nontechnical degrees. 26 per cent graduate this year (2013), 27 per cent in 2014 and 44 per cent in 2015 or later. Recent graduates from recruiters of engineers were also approached, via their HR departments, to take part in the graduate survey and 125 completed. Of these 89 per cent had engineering degrees and 80 per cent were male. Nearly 90 per cent were in the first two years of work after graduation. Key findings Students Over 80 per cent of undergraduates were happy with their degree courses. However, they wanted more help in developing skills such as client handling and making presentations. Intellectual challenge and the nature of the work were considered more important factors in choosing an engineering career than salary. 41 per cent are also looking at careers outside engineering and are attracted mainly to finance, business and management. Energy was the most popular engineering sector with students. When choosing between employers, the work itself, training and reputation were all considered more important than starting salary. 65 per cent said that having a diverse workforce was an important factor for them as applicants. Women engineering students are not put off at the thought of joining a male-dominated sector. Only a quarter had issues with employers using social media to attract/recruit but they felt the most effective forms of employer contact were careers fairs and departmental presentations. Final year students were confident of landing a job but half hadn t made an application by April. Contents Students Your degree and what it gives you...page 3 Career decisions...page 4 Careers outside engineering...page 5 Choosing an employer...page 6 Gender issues in engineering...page 7 Researching and engaging with employers...page 8 Work experience...page 9 Applying for graduate jobs...page 10 Students comments...page 10 Recent graduates Preparing for work...page 11 Getting hired...page 12 Career perceptions...page 13 Career plans...page 14 Recent graduates comments...page 14 Sector comparisons...page 15 Recent graduates Most recent graduates surveyed were happy with what their degree taught them. They were also happy in their jobs 97 per cent said they would stay with their employer for at least three years. They were also happy within the engineering sector, with only one per cent saying it was worse than they expected. In their opinion, the major reason they got their jobs was not work experience but their skills and their performance at interview. They worked hard but not for as many hours per week as graduates in sectors like law and banking. 2
PART ONE STUDENTS Your degree and what it gives you Over 80 per cent of respondents were happy or very happy with their degree course, with a mere 3 per cent saying they were unhappy. Furthermore, only 3 per cent felt that their degree hadn t, to some extent at least, given them the technical skills needed at work. We received a similar response when we asked them about soft skills but those who felt that their degree had prepared them in a limited way had suggestions for the type of skills that they needed to develop at university (in order of importance): Client handling Giving presentations Negotiation Networking Management, project management and leadership skills Communication Time management Decision making Handling problem situations and fire-fighting. Figure 1. How happy are you with the quality of your degree How course? happy are you with the quality of your degree course? Very happy Happy It's OK Unhappy Very unhappy 2% 1% 16% 31% Figure 2. Do you think your degree prepares you for work in Do terms you of think technical your skills? degree prepares you for work in terms of technical skills? 47% 3% 50% 50% Yes it does, definitely Yes, in a limited way Not at all Figure 3. Do you think your degree prepares you for work in terms Do you of soft think skills? your degree prepares you for work in terms of 'soft skills? 2% 43% Yes it does, definitely itely 55% Yes, in a limited way Not at all 3
Career decisions Over 70 per cent had started thinking about and planning their careers at an early stage and all but 16 per cent reported that their perception of engineering careers had either changed for the better or stayed the same. It s worth pointing out that over half were more positive about careers in the sector since starting university. Intellectual challenge and the nature of the work were considered more important factors in choosing an engineering career than salary, although salary was the third most important factor. It is interesting that a considerable number were attracted to the sector because of the contribution engineering makes to society. Salary expectations were pretty realistic with the most popular answer being 21k 25k. Figure 4. When did you start seriously thinking about and planning for your career after university? Figure 5. Has your perception of engineering careers changed since you started university? 16% From an early age, even before university In my early years as an undergraduate In my penultimate year 27% In my final year 11% 17% 57% 27% 44% Yes. My perception is now more positive Yes. My perception is now more negative No. My perception has not changed Figure 6. What most attracts you to a career in engineering? What most attracts you to a career in engineering? Please choose Please your choose top TWO your answers top TWO answers Intellectual challenge Nature of the work Salary and benefits Contributing to society Career progression Chance to work abroad Job security Training provided Working with clients 6% 8% 15% 34% 30% 26% 25% 49% 51% Figure 7. How much do you expect to earn in your first graduate How much do you expect to earn in your first job in terms of annual salary? graduate job in terms of annual salary? Less than 10,000 11,000 to 15,000 16,000 to 20,000 21,000 to 25,000 26,000 to 30,000 31,000 to 40,000 41,000 to 50,000 More than 50,000 3% 7% 6% 1% 1% 19% 23% 40% 4
Careers outside engineering Despite being happy with their degree courses and feeling equipped with the correct technical and soft skills, 41 per cent are at least considering other careers. When asked what attracts them to careers outside engineering, the top response was the work might be more interesting and fulfilling. They also mentioned higher salaries and more jobs as being quite important factors. Those who were considering careers outside engineering mentioned the following alternatives (in order of popularity): Banking, finance Business, management Consulting Teaching Academia Armed forces Architecture. We would like to stress, however, that although 41 per cent are considering other careers, the majority will stay in the sector after graduation. Figure 8. Are you considering other careers besides Are you considering other careers r besides engineering? engineering? 59% 41% Yes No Figure 9. If you are undecided about engineering, what are the factors that might tempt you into a different career? If you are undecided about engineering, what are the factors that might tempt you into a different career? Potential to do more interesting or fulfilling work in a different career Potential to earn more in a different career Availability of jobs Potential for better work/life balance in a different career Better chances for progression in a different career Better job security in a different career I might fit in with colleagues better in a different career Attraction of working in a career with a more glamorous/high status image than engineering 19% 18% 18% 30% 39% 44% 43% 55% 5
Choosing an employer They were presented with a list of engineering sectors and asked which they would prefer to work in. The energy sector was the most popular, followed by aerospace and automotive. Of interest, too, is the sizeable number yet to make up their minds. The most often quoted reason for choosing a specific employer was the type of work on offer, followed by the training and development. The reputation of the employer was considered more important than the starting salary. 65 per cent felt that evidence of a diverse workforce was either an important or vital consideration when choosing an employer with only 35 per cent saying it wouldn t influence their choice. Figure 10. Have you decided which engineering sector(s) you want to work in? (Select all that apply.) Energy: power generation Energy: oil and gas Aerospace Automotive I haven't decided yet Built environment Electronics Defence Materials and metals Chemicals Rail Marine FMCG Telecoms Utilities Pharmaceuticals 6% 6% 6% 5% 5% 9% 9% pply.) 24% 21% 20% 18% 17% 16% 13% 13% Figure 11. What factors did you/will you take into account when choosing What factors an employer? did you/will Please you choose take into the THREE account that when choosing an employer? Please choose the are most important to you. THREE that are most important to you. 28% Type of work on offer 84% Training and development offered Location Reputation of the employer Starting salary 61% 51% 50% 44% Because I enjoyed my placement The people I met at fairs and during the recruitment process 3% 8% Figure How 12. important How important is it is that it that a a prospective e employer has has a diverse workforce? a diverse workforce? 35% 26% Vital Fairly Important It wouldn't influence my decision 39% 6
Gender issues in engineering Figure Does 13. Does the the fact fact that that there there are are many many more men than than women working women in working engineering engineering put you off? put you off? No, not at all 66% We asked women only whether a mainly male workforce would put them off engineering careers and only 7 per cent said it would. They had a number of suggestions, however, to make the choice more attractive, which included more women in senior roles and better flexible working. But there was no evidence that they wanted any special treatment in the recruitment process. Its not ideal, but its unlikely to influence my choice of career Yes, it might influence my choice of career 7% 27% Read more about the attitudes of STEM female undergraduates in a recent study we conducted: gtimedia.co.uk/media Figure 14. What would make an engineering employer more attractive to you? (Select all that apply.) Visibly having women in senior engineering roles Clear company support for working mums (eg flexible working arrangements) Initiatives such as mentoring to encourage womens career progression Recruitment activity specifically targeting women A higher than average percentage of female staff in engineering roles 21% 40% 50% 65% 65% Networking groups for women 19% Women featuring prominently in company literature/on website 19% 7
Researching and engaging with employers Figure 15. Do you want to engage with engineering employers through social media? g Yes, it's what I want 18% Like students interested in other sectors, engineering students were fairly relaxed about employers using social media to engage and attract them. Only a quarter said they wanted to keep social networks for social purposes. Facebook and LinkedIn were the media most used to research employers, although they were all largely unused by students to make job applications. In contrast, one-to-one contact, especially in the form of careers fairs and departmental presentations, were thought to be the most effective form of employer engagement. Yes, but not to be deluged with information I don't have any strong feelings either way I would prefer to keep my social networks social No way! 4% 19% 22% 37% Figure 16. How How do do you you use use the the following following social social media media channels to research channels and to apply research to employers? and apply to employers? Twitter 18% 2% 81% To research Facebook 42% 4% 57% To apply LinkedIn 43% 14% 52% Do not use Blogger 11% 1% 89% Figure Which 17. Which form form of of employer employer contact contact is is the the most most effective? effective? Careers fairs 46% Presentations in the department/faculty 32% Campus presentations Skills sessions at your Careers Service Sponsorship of university or students' union events 6% 6% 10% 8
Work experience How Figure important 18. How important do you consider do you consider work experience work experience e to to be in securing be in a securing permanent a job? permanent job? 3% We asked pre-final year students about work experience and it s clear that its importance was fully understood by respondents. All but 36 per cent were confident about their chances to get some before graduating and most had made at least one application. Indeed, 10 per cent had made over 15 applications. 43% 54% Critically important Important Not important f Figure you are 19. applying If you are applying for vacation for vacation placements/internships, placements/internships, how confident how are confident you in finding are you one? in finding one? I already have one! 9% Very confident 8% Confident 20% Fairly confident Not very confident 28% 26% Not confident at all 10% Figure If you 20. If are you hoping are hoping to start to start an an internship internship this this year, year, how how many many applications applications have you have made you so far? made so far? None 30% Just the one 7% 2-5 26% 6-10 19% 11-15 8% 16-20 More than 20 4% 6% 9
Applying for graduate jobs We asked final year students about job applications and they were even more confident with only a quarter saying they were not confident at all about their prospects. Despite feeling confident, just over half had not made a job application yet and were presumably waiting to get their degree before making applications an interesting but not risk-free approach. All respondents were asked about the barriers to getting placements and jobs and the top answer was the old chicken and egg problem of needing experience first. The second most mentioned reason was the lack of openings which echoes the concerns of students who were maybe looking at careers outside engineering. Figure If you 21. are If you applying are applying for jobs, for jobs, how how confident confident are are you you in finding one? in finding one? Very confident 9% Confident 30% Fairly confident 36% Not very confident 20% Not confident at all 6% Figure If you 22. are If you hoping are hoping to start to start a graduate a graduate job job this this year, year, how how many many applications applications have you have made you so far? made so far? None 53% Just the one 5% 2-5 6-10 14% 12% 11-15 16-20 More than 20 4% 6% 7% Students comments Finally, we asked students to raise any issues or concerns that they wanted to pass on to recruiters. Here is a selection of their responses, which focus on the need for clarity, prompt feedback and more information and opportunities for work placements. To emphasise what exactly their companies are seeking in terms of graduates' knowledge and abilities. Employers should make it very clear who they can or cannot hire. For instance, can you employ an international student or not? Salary is big feature and it s confusing when it says competitive ; this could be anything between 18k 32k. Upon refusal of an application, it would be helpful if they could give brief feedback. In order to be proactive in planning summer placements the companies need to get back to us with responses faster so if they are negative it gives us time to plan and to try again gaining experience in other ways. I'm a 1st year engineering student and there isn't much for us freshers out there. Internships and industrial placements can be pursued only after completing 2nd year. The opportunity exists in law and business firms to take a Spring Week prior to an internship to see if the arrangement is likely to benefit both the employer and the intern. For summer internship/placement opportunities, it would be useful to see past examples of the work or projects that previous students have done at the company. Figure 23. What do you think is the main barrier to getting an engineering job or placement at the moment? Chicken-and-egg problems of needing experience to get a position Too few jobs/placements available for the number of engineering students Students not being proactive enough about researching employers' requirements and finding ways to meet them degree courses not teaching the knowledge/ skills employers want I don't think there are any barriers The grades required to get a job Difficulty of finding out about available positions 5% 4% 7% 7% 12% 28% 38% 10
PART TWO RECENT GRADUATES Preparing for work Figure 24. How well did your degree prepare you for work? How well didd your degree prepare you for work? 2% 35% Very well Most recent graduates felt that their degrees had prepared them at least fairly well for working life. Here is a selection of their comments: It gave me both the relevant technical knowledge as well as the soft skills, such as working in teams and presenting. [It] provided core skills and background knowledge, although little of the technical content from my degree is useful for my job. I developed a certain way of thinking and analysis crucial to my current role. We also asked them, based on their experience of work, what could have been done better at university. This is a selection of their suggestions: Perhaps some more work with soft skills, specifically persuasion techniques and debate skills. Gain an interest/experience in project management. More focus on commercial awareness, economics and politics. More financial understanding of business. More experience in industry. I wish I had paid more attention to events and news in the wider engineering industry. 63% Quite well Not very well at all Finally, we asked them what they had found most useful during their work experience while undergraduates and what could be improved: Trying different job roles was very valuable to me. It was useful to gain experience working on live projects in an office environment and the pressures and challenges this provides. The opportunity to 'own' a project was a great experience. Very useful seeing an industry from the inside and understanding how it functions. Really helps you decide what it is you may like to do at the end of the degree. Coordination of intern placements with business needs could be improved (not all interns I spoke to felt they were doing useful work). 11
Getting hired Figure 25. What was the main factor in choosing your What was the main factor in choosing your employer? Choose employer? one only Choose one only Training and development offered Type of work on offer 26% 36% Several factors were important to respondents when choosing an employer, principally the training and development (top reason), the work itself and the company s reputation. And despite the commonly held belief that work experience was more important than anything else, respondents felt that they were made a job offer primarily because of their skills and how they performed in the recruitment process. Reputation of the employer Starting salary Because I enjoyed my placement Location It was my only job offer Employees I met at fairs etc 6% 3% 1% 0% 12% 16% Figure 26. What do you think were the TWO main factors that What do you think were the TWO main factors that got you hired? got you hired? My personal skills and competencies My performance at interview/ assessment centre 55% 54% My work experience 43% My degree class 25% The university I went to My extra-curricular experience 12% 17% 12
Career perceptions Is your career so far broadly as you expected it to be? Figure 27. Is your career so far broadly as you expected it to be? Broadly speaking, their expectations for their career had been met or exceeded. Only 1 per cent thought it was worse than expected. But there were things that surprised them about the career. Here is what some of them said: The cyclical nature of the industry. The workload is more than expected. It also takes longer to get things done as often the work requires input from different people or is done as a team. The amount of responsibility and opportunity I have been given at such an early stage in my career. The variety of work that I have to undertake and the range of knowledge required. The number of opportunities to travel around the country and not just be stuck in the same office every day. The opportunities available worldwide. How much I enjoy it I don't know anyone else among my friends who is so happy in their job. Yes, broadly It's better than I expected No, it's not what I expected No, it's much worse than I expected 1% 11% 26% Figure 28. What is the SINGLE best thing about your job? That it teaches me new things constantly and gives me good opportunities to learn. Flexible working hours. Making design decisions based on your own findings. Offshore rotation and being able to see things actually being done. Rewards package and opportunities to travel/learn. Being paid to do my hobby. 62% They were also asked to identify skills that they had learnt at work that they hadn t expected to be important (but were!): Communication, negotiation, presentations many soft skills that engineers don't generally have. Organising my time effectively and influencing people. General people management and organising skills. The ability to make use of and learn from other people s knowledge and experience. Being able to put myself forward and shape my own career path. Working with contractors. Writing computer code. Figure 29. What is the SINGLE worst thing about your job? The lack of organisation in introducing a new graduate to a project. Work isn't constant so there can be quite a lot of sitting around. It can be monotonous. Relocation. Non-flexibility of big companies. Huge amount of paperwork and procedures. As far as working hours are concerned, around half these recent graduates worked a normal working week but 12 per cent said they worked over 45 hours each week. Figure 30. How many hours do you work in a typical week? Fewer than 30 30-35 0% 3% 36-40 48% 41-45 38% 46-50 51-55 More than 55 4% 2% 6% 13
Career plans Figure How 31. How long long do do you you plan plan to to work work for for your your current current employer? employer? This is clearly a fairly content group of graduates. All but 3 per cent saw themselves working with their employer for at least another three years, and a quarter longer than ten years. Half thought they were in the industry for the long term and 44 per cent thought they probably would be. Only 1 per cent definitely planned to go. Not much longer 1-2 years 3-4 years 5-10 years More than 10 years 2% 3% 22% 24% 50% Figure 32. Do you see yourself staying in the engineering Do you see yourself staying in the engineering g profession long term? profession long term? 1% 7% 49% 44% Yes definitelyitely Yes probably Probably not Definitely not Recent graduates comments We ended the survey by asking recent graduates to give some advice to current students to help them stand a better chance of getting into the industry in the best possible job: Try to gain work experience if possible. Approach companies that may not necessarily publicly offer work experience and tell them what you have to offer. Get as much experience as possible outside the classroom including trips and extra-curricular challenges. Read professional engineering magazines and be aware of current news surrounding engineering. Keep up with all new technologies. Choose a dissertation title/final project that has a real application in the industry rather than a theoretical study. 14
SECTOR COMPARISONS In spring 2013, we sent survey requests out to students on the targetjobs.co.uk database who had told us they were interested in the following sectors of work: and financial management... (male/female percentage split: 45/55), QS and built environment engineering (59/41)... (69.5/30.5) and investment... (50/50) IT & technology... (71/29)... (26/74) 2,856 students from over 80 different universities took part, 53 per cent men, 47 per cent women. Although there were many similarities in their responses (for example, most were pretty happy with their degree course and how it equipped them for work), there were several differences between students, depending on the sector of work they were interested in. Key findings Students interested in technical careers feel better prepared in terms of soft skills than those interested in finance and law. Students interested in IT careers are less enthusiastic than others about engaging with employers via social media. Students interested in becoming engineers were keenest to ensure that their careers made a positive contribution to society. High starting salary was most important to students interested in investment banking but would-be lawyers were most drawn to the intellectual challenge the work provided. Those interested in engineering and construction were the least likely to be considering alternative careers. Would-be lawyers started career planning the earliest, would-be IT specialists the latest. Students interested in technical careers were more confident in landing a job than students interested in finance and law. 15 Tel: +44 (0)1491 826262 Web: gtimedia.co.uk
Which sectors degrees helped students most in developing soft skills? BEST IT WORST Which sectors students were most enthusiastic engaging on social media? MOST IT LEAST Which sectors are most likely to lose students to other industries? MOST IT LEAST Which of the following factors motivated students most in their career sectors? MOST Contribution to society IT LEAST MOST Salary IT LEAST MOST Intellectual challenge = = IT LEAST MOST Chance to work abroad IT LEAST Which careers do graduates plan for the earliest? EARLIEST = = IT LATEST Which industries inspire the most confidence of finding a job? MOST IT LEAST For which sectors do finalists make the most job applications? MOST = = IT FEWEST In which industries do students expect the highest starting salary? HIGHEST IT LOWEST This report was written by Chris Phillips, Information and Research Director, and compiled by Emma Newton, Client Marketing and PR Executive, GTI Media. If you have any questions or want to raise any issues, please contact: chris.phillips@groupgti.com 07970 267851 For other research reports and releases from GTI Media, please go to: gtimedia.co.uk/media http://chrispgtimedia.wordpress.com/ @chrisp_gtimedia The content of this report is the property of GTI Media Research, so please ask permission if you want to use any part of it (usually freely given) and always credit the source as the TARGETjobs Sector Student and Recent Graduate Survey 2013. 16