Career Skills

According to the UK Government, an assessment of priority skills found that occupations in Digital, Adult Social Care, Construction and Engineering, data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) have the greatest additional employment demand between 2025 and 2030. One of the highest individual occupation is programmers and software development professionals which is listed as a priority by seven sectors.

CoTide, through EPSRC’s support, develops these skills which includes:

• Advanced Technical & Scientific Skills
• Systems Engineering & Integration Skills
• Digital & Data Skills (including AI)
• Sustainability & Environmental Skills
• Industry-Relevant & Commercial Skills
• Transferable (Professional) Skills

Why study engineering?

Studying engineering can be valuable for many reasons—practical, intellectual, and career-related. Here are some of the main ones:

1. You learn how to solve real-world problems
Engineering is essentially applied problem-solving. Engineers design systems and technologies that people rely on every day—bridges, smartphones, medical devices, renewable energy systems, and more. Fields like Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Civil Engineering all focus on turning scientific knowledge into practical solutions.

2. High demand for engineers
Many industries depend on engineers, including technology, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and infrastructure. Because of this, engineering graduates often have strong job prospects and relatively stable careers.

3. Strong earning potential
Engineering careers tend to offer competitive salaries, especially in areas like Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Chemical Engineering.

4. Opportunities to innovate
Engineering is closely linked to innovation. Many major technological advances—space exploration, artificial intelligence, renewable energy—are driven by engineers working in fields like Artificial Intelligence and Robotics.

5. A versatile degree
Engineering teaches transferable skills such as:
•    Analytical thinking
•    Mathematics and modelling
•    Programming and technical tools
•    Project management
Because of these skills, engineering graduates can work in many different industries, not just traditional engineering jobs.

6. Ability to make a global impact
Engineers help tackle major challenges like climate change, sustainable energy, transportation, and clean water. For example, engineers working in Environmental Engineering develop systems to reduce pollution and protect ecosystems.

7. Intellectual challenge
If you enjoy math, physics, building things, or understanding how systems work, engineering offers a challenging but rewarding path that keeps you constantly learning.