Explore & Discover

Role Description

You'll work in a variety of industries, from electronics to synthetic textiles, on projects as diverse as the redesign of consumer products like mobile phones to the construction of motorcycle parts.

Your day-to-day duties would depend on the project, but could include:

• research (using mathematical modelling to work through new developments and innovations)
• design (turning research ideas into technical plans for prototypes using computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-assisted engineering (CAE) software)
• testing (collecting and analysing data from prototype testing)
• modifying designs (ahead of manufacture or installation)
• reporting (writing or presenting to project managers and clients)

Role Description

1. Entry requirements

You’ll normally need an Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) or Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) accredited BEng degree in chemical, process or biochemical engineering.

If you have a degree in a different branch of engineering, or a related subject like chemistry or polymer science, a postgraduate qualification in chemical or process engineering may increase your chances of finding work.
 
You could also take an integrated master’s qualification, like an MEng, to prepare you for further postgraduate study like a PhD or EngD.

Some universities offer a foundation year for people without qualifications in maths and science. 

Cogent Skills, IChemE, IET and Whynotchemeng have more information on becoming a chemical engineer.

2. Skills required

You’ll need: 

• maths and science skills, particularly chemistry 
• good problem-solving and analytical skills 
• planning and organisational ability 
• excellent IT skills 
• the ability to manage projects, budgets and people

3. What you'll do

You’ll be involved in the design, manufacture and operation of processes that turn raw materials into domestic and industrial products.

You could work in a range of industries, like:

• food and drink 
• pharmaceuticals 
• textiles 
• oil and gas 
• minerals 
• energy and water 
• biotechnology 

You may also research and develop new or improved products.

If you work in research and development, you’ll: 

• test new ways to develop products in the lab 
• use computer models to work out the safest and most cost-effective production methods 
• plan how to move lab tests into a pilot production phase, then on to large-scale industrial processing 
• develop methods to deal with by-products and waste materials in a safe way 

In manufacturing, you’ll:

• work with plant designers to create equipment and control instruments for the production process 
• help to oversee the day-to-day operation of the processing plant 
• monitor production and deal with problems 
• work closely with quality control and health and safety managers 

You could also work in biochemical engineering, developing anything from new medicines like vaccines and stem cell therapies, to sources of sustainable energy like biofuels.

4. Salary

Starter: £29,000

Experienced: £55,000

Highly Experienced: £60,000 (senior chartered chemical engineer)

These figures are a guide.

5. Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to work overtime to meet project deadlines. In processing and manufacturing, you might work shifts, including weekends, evenings and nights.

You could be based in a lab, an office or a processing plant. In some environments you may need to wear protective clothing or use equipment like safety glasses, ear protectors or a hard hat.

6. Career path and progression

With experience, you could progress to senior process or design engineer, research and development manager. You could go on to be a plant manager, or overall operations manager.
 
You could also move into consultancy work.

Role Description

You'll need

• excellent driving skills and knowledge of traffic regulations
• good customer service and clear communication skills
• an assertive but polite approach to difficult passengers
• good geographical knowledge
• If you travel abroad, you'll also need an understanding of overseas traffic laws and some basic foreign language skills.

What you'll do

• You could work for local bus companies, long distance operators, or holiday tour companies in the UK or overseas.
• You could also work in community transport, driving schoolchildren, hospital patients and older people to their destinations.

Your day-to-day duties may include:

• taking fares
• checking tickets and passes
• giving timetable or route information
• helping passengers who are having difficulty getting on or off the vehicle
• driving safely and keeping to timetables
• If you're a coach driver, your duties may also include:
• greeting passengers and checking documents
• loading and unloading luggage
• making announcements during the journey
• making sure passengers are back on board for return journeys, and after scheduled stops
• keeping the coach clean and doing basic vehicle checks
• recording driving hours and reporting any incidents
• If you drive to overseas destinations, you’ll need to keep passengers up to date with travel information and deal with border control authorities.

Role Description

You'll make metal products from flat sheets like ducting, pipes, panels and storage tanks. You could be working with anything from aluminium sheets for street signs to steel panels for car bodies.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• marking out sections following engineering drawings and instructions
• shaping and cutting out sections using hand tools and Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines, like laser cutters, presses and rollers
• finishing items with grinders and polishers
• assembling sections using riveting, welding and bolting methods

In heavy industry, where you might be known as a plater, you could build structures like ship hulls or drilling platforms using thicker metal plate.

Role Description

Entry requirements

There are no set requirements. You’ll need good computer skills to keep records systems up to date. You’ll also need to be good with numbers and able to work as part of a team.

Previous experience in stock control, retail or office admin would be helpful.

You could get into this job by doing a supply chain, retail or warehousing apprenticeship.

Skills required

You’ll need:

good communication skills
customer service skills
good time management
the ability to work quickly under pressure
a high level of attention to detail

What you'll do

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

processing orders
making sure paperwork is correctly filled out
checking stock levels and ordering new stock
updating stock information on computer systems
receiving deliveries
making sure orders are despatched on time
answering customer enquiries online, over the phone and face-to-face
carrying out spot checks and audits
Your job may also include other duties like forklift driving or serving customers over the counter.

You’ll work in places like shops, warehouses and distribution centres.

Salary

Starter: £13,500 to £18,000

Experienced: £20,000 to 23,000 (supervisors)

Highly Experienced: up to £30,000 (managers)

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’re likely to work shifts if you’re in a warehouse or distribution centre. You’ll have more regular hours if you’re in a shop or other retail outlet.
 
You may have to work in low temperatures in some jobs, for example in a frozen food warehouse, but your employer will supply you with suitable clothing.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become a stock supervisor or manager. At this level, you would lead a team, forecast stock levels and work closely with suppliers. 

You could also work as a retail buyer, looking at consumer trends and selecting which products your company will sell.

Role Description

Skills required

You'll need:

• financial skills
• excellent negotiating and networking skills
• leadership and management skills

What you'll do

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• deciding what goods, services and equipment are needed
• monitoring and forecasting stock levels
• researching and finding new products and suppliers
• assessing tenders from potential suppliers
• negotiating prices and agreeing contracts
• keeping up to date with market trends

In larger organisations you may run a purchasing department and lead a team of buyers and administrators. In smaller companies, you may combine purchasing with other management duties.

Role Description

Skills required

You'll need:

• practical skills
• problem-solving skills
• the ability to follow technical manuals and engineering diagrams

What you'll do

You can work as a fitter in factories, industrial plants, transport depots and for building services companies. You'll install and maintain mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems and equipment.

Your day-to-day tasks may include:

• installing pipework, valves, pumps and motors
• carrying out planned maintenance checks
• finding and fixing faults
• replacing worn parts and re-setting instrument controls
• cleaning machinery
• responding to emergency breakdowns, for example on a factory production line

Role Description

Entry requirements

There are no set requirements but some employers may expect you to have a degree. Relevant subjects include:

advertising
media and communications
digital marketing
journalism
public relations
business management
You could get into this job without a degree if you have the skills and experience in areas like marketing, advertising or PR. 

You can do college courses in social media and business. 

You could also start as an assistant manager and work your way up. 

You’ll usually need some knowledge and experience of social media. To get experience you could:

manage your own social media profiles
volunteer to manage social media for a charitable organisation
ask to get involved in social media sites of the company you already work for
You’ll need excellent IT skills as you’ll be using social media software and tools. You’ll also need knowledge of search engine optimisation (SEO) methods and ‘key’ or ‘searched for’ words to drive more users to your social media site.

Experience of graphic design and digital editing software can help. You can use these skills to make your social media posts better by adding videos, photos and infographics.

You could get into this job through a creative and digital media apprenticeship.

iCould has a video interview with a social media assistant.

Skills required

You’ll need:

an eye for detail and the ability to work accurately
the ability to deal with more than one task at a time
creativity
presentation skills
an analytical approach to data
writing skills

What you'll do

You’ll monitor and upload content to sites like:

Facebook and Twitter
Instagram and Pinterest
YouTube and Vine
Your day-to-day duties may include:

updating social media sites
writing blogs, articles and posts
responding to social media posts and developing discussions
checking online for company mentions and customer feedback
searching for interesting posts, news and articles to attract site visitors
overseeing competitions and campaigns promoting your company
taking part in conferences and group chat relevant to your industry or company
educating other staff on social media use
promoting social media use within your company
developing strategies to increase your audience
using social media tools like Hootsuite, TweetDeck or Buffer to manage multiple sites
using web tracking tools like Google Analytics, Social Report or Bitly

Salary

Starter: £23,000

Experienced: £25,000 to £35,000

Highly Experienced: £75,000 (head social media manager)

These figures are a guide.

Working hours, patterns and environment

You’ll usually work normal office hours, 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. You may need to work evenings and weekends when working on a campaign or with deadlines.

If you’re freelance, you may work longer hours depending on the needs of your clients and the amount of work you take on.

You’ll be based in an office and spend a lot of time working on a computer. You may also attend meetings and make presentations about your work to clients or colleagues.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could move into managing social media for larger companies or progress to a senior or head social media manager job.