Attracting engineering graduate talent into software 2019
As the 2019 graduate season dawns, a new wave of talent is about to embark on a brand-new journey within UK engineering sectors. Their paths lie within a world full of exciting new, innovative technology allowing them to reach new heights in their respective industries.
Digital transformation applies to everything, even university courses whereby new technology has been integrated to provide students with a foundation knowledge of various PLM, CAD and simulation software solutions.
The barrier for digital transformation companies remains consistent every year, however. A career at BAE, JLR, Rolls-Royce or Siemens is more appealing than a career in software, particularly for the SME market.
Our specialist Digital Manufacturing team recently delved into the graduate market to uncover the latest insight, trends and salary information to enable you (the technology or software company) to compete with global engineering players and secure the best engineering graduate talent in 2019.
Justifying costs
Graduate engineering salaries are inflated due to the competitiveness between software and engineering organisations. Regardless of sales or technical roles, graduates are financially motivated and will initially seek a package which compliments their achievements at university.
Did you know that the average basic salary for a graduate with a 1st class bachelor’s degree within an engineering related discipline can range up to £34,000? After one year of employment, studies have also found salaries to inflate to over £43,000.
There’s no question that today’s leading graduate talent will stretch your budget, particularly for the SME market.
Thankfully, our research suggests graduates in 2019 will leave university with a foundation of knowledge of leading Digital Manufacturing solutions including Matlab, Catia, ANSYS Fluent and Workbench which helps justify their costs.
Additionally, internship experience is becoming increasingly present on graduates CV. Research positions, Mechanical Engineers, Design Engineers and Automotive Assistants are the four most common this year in fact!
There’s an ace up your sleeve
It’s no secret that marketers enjoy mistreating terms such as Industry 4.0, digital transformation and fourth industrial revolution. The validity of such terms has rightfully come under scrutiny by many thought-leaders.
Within the last 12 months however, they have truly reflected the nature of today’s global engineering market and this is appealing to graduates.
The prospect of working with bleeding-edge technology and concepts which break new ground in the aerospace & defense, automotive and advanced manufacturing markets is attractive.
The key is communicating and marketing this information in addition to assuring graduates of their ability to support and work on engineering projects with clients.
FMC Digital Manufacturing
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the report and provide you with additional supporting information to help frame your graduate recruitment plans this summer. Feel free to call me on +44 (0) 1522 812 461 or email me at ben.marum@fmctalent.com.
