Job Description
Automotive Engineers are involved in the design, manufacturing and maintenance of cars, motorcycles, vans and other commercial vehicles. They usually specialise in a particular area such as design of different components, testing and research, development of the mechanical system or the final production.
Entry Requirements
There are various ways in which you can get into this job role and the entry requirements can vary depending on what you choose to do:
An apprenticeship
You could get into this job through a manufacturing engineer degree apprenticeship or product design and development engineer degree apprenticeship.
You'll usually need:
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
A university course
You’ll usually need a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree, before joining a company training scheme.
Relevant subjects include:
- mechanical engineering
- electrical or electronic engineering
- design engineering
- manufacturing engineering
- automotive engineering
A course with a work placement or an internship will be especially useful.
You'll usually need:
- at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
- between 1 and 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma or degree
Click here to search for a suitable course.
Career Path and Progression
With experience, you could progress to senior engineer roles, project team management, general management or consultancy.
Related careers you may be interested in:
- Aerospace engineer
- CAD technician
- Electrical engineer
- Materials engineer
Required Skills
- An interest in motor vehicle engineering and design
- The ability to analyse and interpret data
- Good maths and IT skills
- Able to work on your own initiative
- The ability to prioritise workloads to meet deadlines
- Good communication skills
- Good problem solving abilities
Salary Range
£20,000 to £45,000
