Overview of the UK's engineering industry
Despite accounting for nearly a fifth of the UK workforce, the engineering industry needs new talent. If you have the right qualifications and technical skills, discover the leading engineering and manufacturing companies that would be keen to take you on
What is engineering?
Concerned with the design, building, maintenance and use of engines, machines and structures, engineering is about problem-solving and using your science, maths and technological ability to apply innovations to the real world.
On the other hand, manufacturing is the large-scale production of products or goods sold to a customer.
How big is the UK's engineering industry?
The engineering and manufacturing sector is one of the UK's broadest and encompasses a range of disciplines.
According to the industry's regulatory body, the Engineering Council, 18% of the UK's working population - around six million people - are involved with engineering.
What areas of engineering and manufacturing can I work in?
- aerospace
- applications
- architecture
- automotive
- building services
- chemical
- civil
- commercial
- commissioning
- computing and IT
- construction
- contracting
- defence
- design
- electrical
- electronics
- environmental
- estimator
- facilities management
- forensic
- geotechnical
- health and safety
- hydrology
- infrastructure
- instrumentation and control systems
- manufacturing
- marine
- materials
- mechanical
- petroleum, oil and gas
- planning
- plant
- power
- process
- production
- project management
- quality
- rail
- research and development
- site
- software
- surveying
- systems
- telecoms, digital communications and networks
- test
- transportation.
Industries that require qualified engineering and manufacturing graduates include:
- automation and robotics
- biotechnology
- music
- nuclear
- pharmaceuticals
- space.
For more examples of job roles in this sector, see graduate engineering jobs.
Who are the top engineering and manufacturing employers?
Largest engineering companies
- Airbus
- Arup
- Aston Martin
- Atkins
- Babcock
- BAE Systems
- Bentley Motors
- BMW Group
- British Airways (BA)
- Colas Rail
- Dyson
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Kier Group
- Mercedes
- Network Rail
- Nissan
- Nucleargraduates
- Rolls-Royce
- Siemens
- Sellafield
- Thales Group
- Transport for London (TfL).
Leading engineering consulting firms
- AECOM
- Arup
- Capgemini
- EFESCO Management Consultants
- Mott MacDonald
- Sweco UK.
Despite these lists of recognisable names, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the engineering and manufacturing sector. Therefore, most engineering graduates will work in smaller organisations.
Major engineering professional bodies
The leading trade and membership organisations representing individuals and businesses across the sector include:
- Engineering Industries Association (EIA) - promotes UK manufacturing and engineering companies across the globe.
- Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) - membership organisation for over 30,000 chemical and process engineers.
- Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) - a professional membership body with over 98,000 members.
- Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) - provides lifelong learning opportunities to its 115,000 mechanical engineer members.
- The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) - represents the global engineering community.
- The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) - supports the development of 30,000 structural engineers across the world.
Biggest manufacturing organisations
With a combined turnover of £309billion, the five leading manufacturing sectors are known as the Manufacturing Five (M5). These industries are represented by the:
- ADS Group - the UK trade association for aerospace, defence, security and space.
- Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) - research and development into medicines and vaccines.
- Chemical Industries Association (CIA) - represents UK chemical and pharmaceutical businesses.
- Food and Drink Federation (FDF) - the membership body for food and drink manufacturers.
- Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) - supports and promotes the UK automotive industry.
Top food and drink companies
The food and drink industry contributes more to the economy than all other manufacturing sectors combined, including aerospace and automotive.
The FDF's Regional Report 2024: Powering our nation across every community (March 2024) showed that the industry contributes £35billion to the economy, accounting for nearly a fifth (18.8%) of total UK manufacturing turnover. It employs over 456,000 people across every region of the country.
Within this field, top food and drink manufacturing employers include:
- Arla Foods
- Associated British Foods
- Bakkavor Group
- Britvic Soft Drinks
- Coca-Cola
- Diageo
- Dunbia
- Greencore Convenience Foods
- Mars UK
- MDS
- Mondelez UK
- Müller UK and Ireland
- Nestlé
- Ocado
- Pladis Global
- Tate & Lyle.
Other large manufacturers
- AstraZeneca
- British American Tobacco
- CNH
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)
- INEOS
- MBDA
- Rio-Tinto
- Sellafield Ltd
- TTI
- Unilever.
What's it like working in engineering?
Graduates can expect to:
- work in a variety of locations depending on your specialism - from the office and factory floors to building sites, workshops, laboratories and plants
- have opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD)
- earn an average graduate salary of £27,000 to £33,000
- use creativity and problem-solving skills to design innovative products or tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges
- travel locally and regionally between locations. Depending on your job, international travel could also be an option.
To discover more about salaries and working conditions for specific roles, see our engineering and manufacturing job profiles.
Which areas of engineering have the best employment prospects?
You could try breaking into an area experiencing growth, such as:
- Nuclear energy - The government wants nuclear power to eventually provide reliable, low-carbon, cost-competitive electricity. Explore getting a job in nuclear energy.
- Renewable energy - Play a key role in helping to offset the impact of climate change. Read more about renewable energy careers.
- Artificial intelligence (AI)/Big data - AI is revolutionising the industry. You can get a job as a machine learning engineer or consider studying a big data course.
- Food and drink manufacturing - As the biggest manufacturing sector, you could work in areas such as automation or develop new technologies.
- Mechanical, electrical, electronic, chemical and software engineering - Get the qualifications required to become a Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng). Discover how to become an engineer.
Graduates are highly sought-after by employers in this sector. You'll find engineering graduate schemes available, with opportunities spanning various disciplines.
Are there skills shortages in engineering?
The engineering sector in the UK is currently experiencing a skills shortage. This can be attributed to several factors, such as:
- an ageing workforce
- economic issues post-Brexit
- a lack of education and awareness of engineering among young people.
A significant number of engineering roles feature on the government's shortage occupations list, including:
- civil
- design and development
- electrical
- electronic
- mechanical
- production.
What skills will I need to work in engineering?
- IT knowledge
- a high level of numeracy and analytical ability
- specific subject knowledge and technical aptitude
- creative problem solving
- attention to detail
- communication
- teamwork
- leadership skills
- the ability to project manage
- commercial awareness.
Read more about the general skills employers want.
What are the engineering industry trends and challenges?
While the engineering sector is crucial to our economy and everyday lives, it isn't without its share of challenges - not just skills shortages.
For instance, engineering and technology are at the heart of the race to net zero and in the future, there will be hundreds of thousands of 'green jobs' for people with engineering skills.
Decarbonisation across the UK economy will rely on new, innovative engineering solutions conceived and realised by a diverse workforce. While much of the workforce tasked with delivering this transformation is already in employment, many are now coming through the education system.
Jobs are increasingly becoming available in solar, wind power, the electricity grid and electric vehicles, but engineers are also working on innovations in how we travel and power our lives, sustainable food production and planet-friendly fashion.
Defence, aerospace, and information security are other areas where engineers are required for apprentice and graduate roles.
Since the start of the decade, BAE Systems has invested £1billion in its education and skills programmes. It's aiming to take on 2,400 new starters in 2025, with those in training (6,500) making up 15% of its UK workforce.
'As the UK's largest defence company, we rely on the skill and ingenuity of those who deliver our programmes, which is why it's so crucial we continue to invest in our people,' says Charles Woodburn, chief executive of BAE Systems.
How about diversity in engineering?
There's plenty of room for improvement regarding diversity and inclusion in the sector. To inspire young people into the profession, the industry must improve the quality, targeting, inclusivity, and reach of activities designed to attract talent.
Over 300 organisations, including EngineeringUK, are working together to drive a new era of engagement that encourages more young people into engineering - through the Tomorrow's Engineers Code.
This is a commitment to common goals covering how organisations fund, design, deliver and learn from engineering-inspiration activities. It's a growing community focused on increasing the diversity and number of young people entering engineering careers.
Sharing insights on what works well in designing and targeting engineering outreach, committing to developing high-quality activities and giving young people a reliable platform to access them will help raise awareness of engineering careers.
One of the initiatives designed to encourage young people to enter engineering is through campaigns such as Tomorrow's Engineers Week, which is held annually in November.
In the higher education sector, the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) runs a Diversity Impact Programme to provide funding of up to £100,000 for new projects in university engineering departments. Grants are available for 12 to 18-month projects that tackle the unequal outcomes experienced by students from underrepresented groups.
Major employers are also committed to ensuring a more inclusive workplace.
For instance, BAE Systems has revealed that just under a third (30%) of its new apprentice starters in 2024 were female, compared to 15% across the UK engineering industry - read about opportunities for women in engineering. In addition, a third of its new graduate starters were from an ethnic minority background.
As a member of Movement to Work, BAE Systems also helps to tackle the issue of youth unemployment in the UK. By providing work placements to those Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), half (50%) of those completing work experience with their employer have secured paid jobs or apprenticeships or have engaged in further study.
Find out more
- Explore engineering courses.
- Consider engineering apprenticeships.
- Get some valuable engineering work experience.