Facts & Figures
Essex is home to one of the largest clusters of advanced manufacturing and engineering companies in the UK, with businesses experiencing skills shortages in areas such as Aerospace, Civil, Environmental, Defence, AgriTech and MedTech.
Take a look at one of our films which explains the AgriTech sector and the impact it has on the way we live.
Some of the World's most well known Engineering Companies are based in Essex, including BAE Systems, Ford Motor Company, CNH, Gardner Aerospace, Raytheon and Teledyne. The sector employs over 40,000 people across more than 4000 Companies, many of which are small and medium sized family businesses, offering some fantastic opportunities.
The advanced manufacturing and engineering sector covers lots of roles. We have broken it down into some of the unique and exciting career opportunities you could find yourself being part of in Essex.
Engineers create solutions to problems using a bit of science and a lot of design! Ready for a quick list?
- Agri Tech - Using technology, including AI to make the farming process more efficient . It's about using technology to produce more with less
- Defence - military equipment is a part of it, but you could also work on satellites, security systems for companies or even safety gear for commercial use.
- Automotive - Developing new or improved designs for vehicles, engines, transmissions or other vehicles, often using computer- assisted technology
- Food and Drink - You will be designing and developing systems for the production, processing, distributing and storing of food and agricultural materials
- Medical and Pharmaceuticals - Engineers in this area create medicines, prosthetics and support equipment to help keep us healthy.
- Energy - Can you imagine life without electricity? No wi-fi, no TV, no phones, no lights! The energy sector helps generate systems that give us electricity - from using the power of the wind, sea or sun, to manufacturing it entirely from machines.
What's out there for me?
Tomorrow's Engineers is a great place to learn more about the world of engineering, but check out these roles first to give you some inspiration about the things you can do in this industry.
Aerospace Engineer: Sounds cool right? Well, it is! Participate in flight-test programmes, use your knowledge of technology to create aircraft equipment and even design aircraft mechanics on computer systems. Good knowledge of science will help you to create the safest and most efficient aircraft.
Automotive Engineer: Design, develop and deliver! The world of vehicles is waiting for its next automotive engineer to build prototypes and test performance and safety features. They also get to inspect and test drive the latest vehicles which are built and designed to meet specific requirements, like using more technology to make eco-friendly or self-driving cars!
Chemical Engineer: Just like magic, these people use science and chemicals to change the build of things to make real products - like changing oils into plastics. Their work begins in a lab with which has to be completely clean, and then they develop formulas to be scaled up to sometimes millions of products.
Electrical Engineer: Phones, nanotechnology, robotics or sound - the choice is yours! All of these areas have electronics engineers to develop new ideas to solve problems using technology. They design and test electronic products or software sometimes using a computer, and sometimes using their hands to put the equipment together. Your phone didn't build itself, you know!
Mechanical Engineer: We're not just talking about engines here - we mean everything mechanical, from mechanical hearts to production machines or medical robots. Most people and companies rely on mechanics in some way and mechanical engineers are the people who build and repair these products.
Top advertised job roles
Links to useful websites for a career in engineering
Engineering for Students
Apprenticeships in Engineering and Manufacturing
'Engineering' Job Vacancies
'Manufacturing' Job Vacancies