Energy engineer Job Information | National Careers Service

Job profiles

Energy engineer

Hours

Variable
Starting salary

£22,000 + per year

The work

As an engineer involved in energy production, you would work on the extraction of oil and gas, or on producing energy from renewable or sustainable sources such as wind power, solar power or biofuels.

You might work in a wide variety of roles, for example:

as a reservoir engineer, calculating how much oil or gas a well will produce and planning how to extract as much as possible
researching new ways of generating energy – for example, designing wind farms
designing machinery and developing ways of improving existing processes
overseeing the drilling operations on an offshore rig, as a drilling engineer.

Your day-to-day tasks would depend on the type of project you were involved in, but might include:

using mathematical and computer models to calculate the size and shape of a reservoir
deciding on the best locations for production wells to maximise profit
planning an offshore production platform's drilling programme
co-ordinating the work of a drilling team
designing and selecting equipment
making sure oil or gas extraction meets environmental standards
analysing drilling performance and factors affecting cost and efficiency
working with other professionals such as geologists, geophysicists and specialist contractors
carrying out laboratory experiments and converting them into large-scale industrial processes.

Hours

In power plant or drilling operations, you could work on a seven-day shift system including nights and weekends. You would be more likely to work standard office hours in design, research and development.

Onshore work is mainly in offices and laboratories, with some time spent out visiting sites. Some jobs may involve international travel and long stays away from home.

Income

Graduate starting salaries are between £22,000 and £30,000 a year, depending on the area of energy engineering
With more experience and responsibility, salaries can be between £35,000 and £60,000.

Figures are intended as a guideline only.

Entry requirements

To become an energy engineer, you will need a degree (BEng or BSc) or Masters degree (MEng or MSc) in a scientific or engineering subject, such as:

mining or petroleum engineering
environmental technology
energy engineering
earth sciences
environmental engineering
renewable or sustainable energy
electrical engineering
chemical engineering.

To get onto a relevant degree you will typically need five GCSEs (A-C), and at least two A levels including maths and a science. Alternative qualifications may be accepted, and some universities offer a foundation year for people without qualifications in maths and science. You should check exact entry requirements with course providers.

You will often need a master’s degree for senior and research posts. See the Energy Institute's EnergyZone website for details of approved degrees and postgraduate courses.

EnergyZone – Academic Courses

Foreign language skills can be an advantage for working in multinational companies.

Training and development

You will develop your skills on the job, possibly through a company's structured graduate training scheme.

You can improve your career prospects by gaining incorporated or chartered engineer status from the Engineering Council, and joining a professional engineering body like the Energy Institute.

See the Engineering Council and Energy Institute websites for details on how to gain incorporated and chartered engineer status.

As an experienced engineer, you should keep your knowledge and skills up to date throughout your career. The Energy Institute offers a range of short courses in new skills and technologies to help you continue your professional development.

Skills and knowledge

an interest in science, technology and the environment
problem-solving ability
good planning and organisational skills
excellent mathematical and computer skills
the ability to manage projects, budgets and people
good communication and teamworking skills
knowledge of electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering.

More information

Cogent (Opens new window)
Unit 5, Mandarin Court
Centre Park
Warrington
Cheshire
WA1 1GG
Tel: 01925 515200
www.cogent-ssc.com

Energy Zone (Opens new window)
www.energyzone.net

Tomorrow's Engineers (Opens new window)
EngineeringUK
Weston House
246 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EX
Email: careers@engineeringuk.com
Tel: 020 3206 0400
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk

Energy Institute (Opens new window)
61 New Cavendish Street
London
W1G 7AR
www.energyinst.org.uk

Engineering Council UK (Opens new window)
246 High Holborn
London
WC1V 7EX
Tel: 020 3206 0500
www.engc.org.uk

Opportunities

You could be employed in the oil and gas industry, energy production companies, or in government and university research. Renewable energy is seen as a growth area, due to increased interest in environmental issues.

See Cogent's website for a map of the main locations of various parts of the energy industry in the UK.

Cogent – UK Footprint

With experience, you could move into planning, policy development, or freelance consultancy.

Jobs may be advertised in the national and industry press, and by specialist recruitment agencies.

You may find the following useful for job vacancies and general reading (links open new window):

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.

Related industry information

Industry summary

The oil and gas industry is part of the broader science‐based sector represented by Cogent Sector Skills Council, which also includes chemicals, polymers, nuclear, petroleum and pharmaceuticals industries. Most goods used by people in their homes, at work and in their everyday activities are products derived from the chemical, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. The combined industries represent nearly half a million people in the UK and are of huge economic and strategic importance to the UK.

The UK oil and gas industry operates as one part of a global business and its product is traded internationally.

There has been a decline in UK oil and gas output since 2000 and this is not forecast to change significantly to 2017. Industry needs are determined by high energy prices, the volatility of the oil price, the uncertainty over reserves and poor reservoir performance. These all undermine investment in discovery and extraction. The UK offshore industry will continue to make a contribution to the UK’s energy supply for many years to come. Over the longer term, oil and gas production in the North Sea will fall as reserves become depleted and it becomes increasingly difficult to find new wells.

New discoveries, on-going operations, planned lifetime extensions for existing operations, decommissioning activities and retirement of the incumbent workforce, are all factors that mean the industry has a sustained recruitment demand with a requirement for skills training and up‐skilling of the incumbent workforce.

Keeping the UK Continental Shelf competitive will require exploration and production activities to be carried out, requiring a diversity of people from geoscientist to engineers and from environmental scientists to electricians.

Key facts:

The skills developed in the UK workforce are in demand globally.
In 2007/08, there were 40 new fields on‐stream in the UK Continental Shelf.
The industry is highly capital intensive with capital expenditure of £5.6 billion.
It is one of the UK’s strongest industry investors in research and development.
Sustainability of the UK Continental Shelf is highly dependent upon the development and realisation of new technologies.
Oil and gas together met 75% of UK primary energy demand in 2005.

Jobs in the oil and gas industry are divided into:

Discipline engineers – graduate engineer, engineer, senior/lead engineer, specialist/principal engineer, engineering/operations management
Offshore technicians – maintenance technician, production technician, senior/lead production technician, shift supervisor, operations management

National and regional data

Across Great Britain, there are an estimated 28,000 people working in the oil and gas industry. The largest number of employees is located in:

Scotland
East of England
North West

73% of the oil and gas industry workforce are employed in Scotland; 38% are in Aberdeen. There are also clusters of activity in Orkney, Shetland and Cromarty. In the East of England, 21,000 people are directly employed in the industry and a further 10,000 are indirectly working in the industry. The region is a significant centre for the industry focused on Norfolk, with offshore support in Lowestoft and Norfolk.