Insights 4 reasons you should consider a career in transport engineering
We rely on good transport links to do everything from the daily commute to the weekly shop, and, whether or not we’re aware of it, we also depend on a team of expert transport engineers and planners to keep us connected. These engineers are responsible for fixing our bridges, building new links between our towns and cities, and helping us travel smarter: they are the unsung heroes of the engineering sector.
Walking the line between town planning, civil engineering
Here’s why transport engineering should be your next career move.
It’s always in demand
The engineering sector is extremely profitable, and it’s also growing. Engineering projects generate 23% of the UK’s total turnover, whilst 27% of companies in the UK are engineering-related. That’s a lot of business, and yet there’s also a shortage of candidates with the right engineering skills around the country.
There’s a reason for this heightened demand: in addition to upgrading the UK’s
It’s challenging
There’s no such thing as a stereotypical ‘transport engineer’. This sector actually contains a huge range of different jobs, all of which will let you test yourself and develop your skills in new environments. You can be a transport planner, working to improve and manage transport systems around the UK, or you can collaborate with local councils to design new transport facilities for schools, railways and more.
Regardless of what you choose to do, it’s a challenging job. A large part of your responsibilities as a transport engineer will revolve around
It’s cutting edge
When it comes to new technologies, there’s no more exciting place to be than transport engineering. One of the biggest pieces of software to impact the industry so far is Building Information
However, it’s not just the construction process that is undergoing somewhat of a revolution. The ongoing trend towards greater connectivity, culminating in the ‘Internet of Things’, points to a future with ‘smart’ roads that can alert local councils to potholes, thinning tarmac or even generate electricity using solar panels embedded into surfaces. Driverless cars are also on the horizon: the UK government wants to bring them into commercial use by 2021, and with the industry estimated to be worth £28bn by 2035, this enthusiastic embrace of the future is bound to have an effect on the role of the transport engineer. Indeed, city roads- and even our transport network- will likely have to be drastically reworked to suit this new, algorithm-driven method of travel, especially as some are speculating that they may be better suited to freight transport than inner-city travel.
With so much happening within transport, the sector remains full of possibilities for the future. For anybody wanting to make a start in engineering, there’s no more exciting place to be.
It’s varied
Transport engineering is a dynamic and exciting place to work, whatever your interests are. Whether you enjoy
There are also plenty of opportunities to work your way up the career ladder. As a transport planner, for instance, you can complete a professional qualification from the Transport Planning Society or the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and become a project manager or leader;
Start on the path to success with Atkins Global
Transport engineering is growing, and we want you to be a part of it. Find out more about what it means to work at one of the biggest and most dynamic engineering consultancies in the world at #InsideAtkins, and take the first step on your career journey with us by searching our vacancies in Transport Engineering.
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