Engineering, as a profession, has often fallen foul of the misconception that engineers spend their days in oil stained overalls fixing broken machines. The reality is very different. Today’s engineers are just as likely to find themselves drawing up complex designs on a mega-powerful computer, or making a presentation to a board of directors, as operating on the shopfloor.

There are approximately 600,000 professional engineers in the UK, a third of which are registered with the Engineering Council, working in areas such as mechanical, civil, electrical, electronic and marine.Engineering covers an enormous variety of roles and services, with organisations being responsible for most of the products and amenities people use everyday, both at home and at work. Consequently, engineers are in great demand, enjoying one of the lowest rates of unemployment of any of the major career sectors, and this is likely only to increase, as society becomes increasingly reliant on technology.

Technology is at the centre of all engineering positions, whether as part of the obtaining and processing of raw materials or in their application, at an industrial, domestic or environmental level. The opportunities in this field are immense ranging from fixing a fault on a Formula One racing car’s engine to constructing pipelines across entire continents. It is impossible to stereotype a typical engineer due to the sheer variety of opportunities available.