Electrical and electronic engineering

In general, electrical engineers deal with power generation and power supply, while electronic engineering is about the way electricity is used to control equipment. However, the very close association of the Institute of Electrical Engineers with the British Computer Society suggests that the line between electrical and electronic engineering is blurred.

THE SECTOR AT A GLANCE

235,000 engineers registered with the Engineering Council

150,000 members of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (in 127 countries)

12.4% new chartered electrical engineers last year who were female

66.5% 2008 electrical engineering graduates going straight into work

£137 billion value of UK’s total engineering exports

Source: www.engc.org.uk; www.theiet.org; www.semta.org

Modern manufacturing techniques tend to make replacement of a faulty component more cost-effective for the consumer than mending it in situ. Much of the traditional role of the maintenance engineer has therefore changed, particularly in the electronics field, with removal and re-installation of faulty chips and boards the norm.

Electrical and electronic engineering includes such areas as informatics, control, electronics and communications, power management, manufacturing and science, and engineering and technology. Its associated industries span aerospace, construction, media and communications, medical technologies, railways and road transport.

THE ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION (ECA)

The ECA’s 2,800 members employ more than 30,000 people and support 8,000 apprentices. ECA members’ aggregate turnover is over £5 billion

£10 billion+ aggregate turnover of electrical contracting firms, of which about 80% is electrical contracting work

50,000+ electrical contractors, of which there are over 14,000 employers employing over 150,000 people

100 firms employ 60+ people and cover around 30% of the industry

300 firms employ 25–59 people, and cover around 10% of the industry

5,000 firms employ 4–24 people, and cover around 30% of the industry

50,000 firms employ three people or fewer and cover around 30% of the industry

Electrical and electronic engineering skills gained in the Services
All three Services have electronic engineering specialists, working on sophisticated and complex instruments, vehicles, engines (including nuclear reactors) and other equipment. Qualifications range from master’s degrees, through apprenticeships, national certificates and diplomas to NVQ level 2, with institute membership at the appropriate grade being available to most professional engineers.

Electrical engineering is somewhat different. In general, Forces electricians work on equipment that moves rather than static installations, although the Royal Engineers’ electricians work across the whole spectrum of power supply, from generation to distribution, in difficult and dangerous environments. The Royal Navy has an installed capacity of five megawatts on its smaller ships and 14 megawatts in the bigger classes of vessel, so Naval engineers are very familiar with electrical generation and distribution within ships.

TRANSLATE YOUR SKILLS
The electrical and electronic engineer should have the following skills and abilities:

independent thought
imagination and vision
an innovative approach
above-average intelligence
a keenness to learn, combined with logical reasoning
an aptitude and liking for mathematics
ability to work independently as well as part of a team.

The engineer must be capable of identifying a problem and must then try to find the best solution as fast as possible – and at the lowest cost. Sometimes, finding the optimum solution will call for ‘unlogical’ thinking.
Source: www.career-descriptions.co.uk

Qualifications
It is necessary to have qualifications to work in any branch of engineering. The academic ones include degrees, diplomas and certificates, while vocational qualifications include vocational A-levels, apprenticeships, national vocational qualifications (NVQs) and Scottish vocational qualifications (SVQs).

Engineering Council UK
The Engineering Council UK is the profession’s lead body and registers all engineers who have met standards of education, training and professional competence at one of 35 engineering institutions and societies. It holds the national registers of:

Chartered Engineers (CEng)
Incorporated Engineers (IEng)
Engineering Technicians (EngTech), and
Information and Communications Technology Technicians (ICTTech).

It also sets and maintains the internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics that govern the award and retention of the above titles.

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
The IET came into being in 2006 through an amalgamation of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and the Institution of Incorporated Engineers (IIE), to form the second-largest professional engineering body in the world. It has active networks of members in 37 countries, while it accredits more than 1,000 UK undergraduate programmes, gives £200,000 in scholarships, prizes and grants, organises 120 conferences and events, and publishes 100 new titles every year.

The IET has five categories of individual membership.

Student and Apprentice Members are those undergoing an approved programme of study who intend to satisfy the requirements for the category of Member. The learning programme may be an apprenticeship and/or undergraduate/postgraduate degree.
Associates are people engaged in science, engineering or technology, or who value involvement with the IET but do not wish to apply for or meet the requirements of the category of Member.
Members with designatory letters (TMIET or MIET) are those individuals who have developed a standard of knowledge and understanding, and are engaged in an activity relevant to the interests of the IET.
Fellowship (FIET) recognises individuals who have demonstrated significant individual responsibility and sustained achievement in their profession.
Honorary Fellows (HonFIET) are highly acclaimed individuals who have demonstrated exemplary contributions to the IET or their engineering discipline (elected by the IET Board of Trustees only).

Other qualifications
The Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (Semta) is the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies. It has developed a series of engineering national occupational standards (NOS) at levels 1 to 5, which are extremely comprehensive and detailed (further information is available direct from Semta – see ‘Key contacts’, below). Semta works closely with industry to identify and define the skills and knowledge requirements for the various occupations, across the different performance levels, within the sector.

The Electrical Contracting Industry’s Joint Industry Board regulates relations between employers and employees, including productivity, skills levels and wages. It also runs the Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS), under which people are issued with cards that show their overall level of competence, specialisations and qualifications. Grades at which cards are issued are:

Technician
Approved Electrician
Electrician
Electrical Improver
Labourer
Cable Install Supervisor
Cable Foreman
Leading Cable Hand
Approved Jointer
Jointer
Labourer (Cabling)
Highway Lighting.

BS 7671 is the current national standard for most electrical installations undertaken within the UK. For electrical engineering, the basic requirement is 17th Edition Wiring Regulations, which show that the individual knows the necessary regulations and how to use them – it is virtually impossible to start in the industry without it. Installations designed before 1 July 2008 may continue to be installed and certified in accordance with the 16th Edition, but all new designs commenced after 1 July 2008 need to be carried out in accordance with the new standard. An exam can be taken at the end of a one-week course, and leads to the award of the level 3 City & Guilds 2381 qualification (good electrical knowledge is required). The next step may be the Inspection and Testing of Electrical Installations level 3 City & Guilds 2391 qualification, followed by an Applicable Building Regulations for Domestic Electrical Installation course for qualified students to be able to work as a professional electrician. Service leavers can also attend the level 3 Inspection and Testing (PAT) of Electrical Equipment City & Guilds 2377-01 and 2377-02.

Employment
The most highly qualified people (degrees and above) generally plan and manage electrical and electronic engineering projects, with the next level of expertise supervising their implementation, and the least skilled people actually doing the work. Experience leads to bigger and better jobs, while academic and vocational qualifications make it possible for the individual to develop and move up the career ladder.

In the electrical engineering industry, projects are contracted and then subcontracted to many different entities. Most people start as an electrician’s mate or work for a contractor for a minimum of two years to gain experience. Once they have worked for a while on a number of projects, and obtained a good reputation and the necessary qualifications, they can set up on their own. All contractors must inspect and test their own work. They may also inspect and test other electrical work for landlords, insurance companies and major builders.

WANT TO KNOW MORE?
More specific information on some aspects of electronic engineering can be found in our articles on computing and IT, and telecommunications, which you can find on our website at www.questonline.co.uk.

Salaries
As this is such a wide-ranging industry, the following figures can give only a rough guide to salaries in this sector.

Adult trainee electricians over 21 will probably start on about £17,000, with improvers on around £19,000 and approved electricians on about £24,000. They will also receive shift pay and overtime.
EngTechs might expect to earn around £28,000, while IEngs could start on £20,000, rising to £35,000 as they gain experience, and up to £50,000 for senior people. CEngs are the most qualified people, starting at about £25,000, and with an upper limit that depends entirely on the type of work done, the contract terms, the seniority of the individual, and the company.
The estimated starting salary for a graduate electrical engineer is £20,000, and for experienced electrical engineers £35,000. The average income for a qualified chartered electrical engineer is £50,000.

KEY CONTACTS

Electrical Contractors Association, ESCA House, 34 Palace Court, London W2 4HY Tel: 020 7313 4800 Website: www.eca.co.uk

Engineering Council UK, 246 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EX Tel: 020 3206 0500 Website: www.engc.org.uk

Institution of Engineering and Technology, Michael Faraday House, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2AY Tel: 01438 313311 Website: www.theiet.org

Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance, 14 Upton Road, Watford, Hertfordshire WD18 0JT Tel: 0845 643 9001 Website: www.semta.org.uk

Joint Industry Board, Kingswood House, 47/51 Sidcup Hill, Sidcup, Kent DA14 6HP Tel: 020 8302 0031 Website: www.jib.org.uk