Become an engineer

Choosing school subjects

To become an engineer you'll need a good understanding of maths and science, but you don't need the highest qualifications – a grade 4 or 5 (C) at GCSE or equivalent will get you to the next step.

You might also like to think about taking:

• Design Technology for product design and design engineering
• Chemistry for chemical and biomedical engineering
• Biology for biomechanical engineering
• Geography for civil and environmental engineering
• Computing for software engineering
• Languages as you can travel the world as an engineer.

Work experience

Work experience is a great opportunity to learn more about a role or sector.

There are many organisations that can help match you with companies so you can get hands-on experience.

Academic learning

If you like learning at school through a mixture of lessons and practicals, the academic route may be for you. 

Qualifications at this stage include A Levels, International Baccalaureate and Scottish Highers.

You might want to consider how your subject choices match your interests and any future job or study requirements.

Hands-on learning with vocational courses

Vocational courses are well regarded by engineering employers, who help design the qualifications.

Vocational study could be right for you if:

• You prefer hands-on rather than classroom study
• You aren’t quite ready or don’t want to go to university
• You prefer a smaller class size
• You want to keep your career options flexible

People who take vocational courses often progress straight into the workplace, or go to university, to study an engineering degree.

A mix of academic and hands-on with T Levels

T Levels are two-year courses designed to give a head start towards the  career you want. They are equivalent to 3 A Levels. You'll spend 80% of your course in a classroom and 20% in an industry placement. 

T Levels could be right for you if:

• You’re not sure what you’d like to do next
• You want to keep your options open and possibly pursue an advanced apprenticeship, degree apprenticeship or degree in the future 
• You’d like to combine theoretical knowledge with work experience
• You want to meet potential future employers

Earn and learn with an apprenticeship

Apprenticeships are real jobs with real employers, allowing you to work, earn a salary and gain valuable qualifications and experience.

Apprenticeships could be right for you if:

• You want hands-on experience while earning a salary and a qualification at the same time
• You know what industry / employer you want to go into
• You want to progress your qualification level as you go

People who do an apprenticeship often progress to a degree apprenticeship, or straight into an entry level engineering career. 

Study for an engineering degree at university

There are a variety of engineering degree types to chose from; you can study broad degrees, or specialise early if you're passionate about one topic.

Getting a degree at university may be for you if:

• You'd like to move away from home and balance studying with socialising
• You'd like the option of a paid placement year to gain experience and skills before going in to work

Get an engineering degree through an apprenticeship

These are higher level apprenticeships that can lead to a degree. They're often called 'degree apprenticeships', or 'graduate apprenticeships' in Scotland.

Gaining a degree through an apprenticeship may be for you if:

• You want to gain work experience and achieve a degree
• You don't want to study full-time
• You have concerns about the financial implications of doing a university degree – apprentices earn a weekly wage, and the cost of the degree is covered