Growing wave of new career opportunities for engineers in the UK Water Industry Job Pool

July 23, 2011 - PRLog -- ENGINEERS are the most common job seekers in the UK Water Industry Job Market.
Average engineering salaries compare favourably with other commercial sectors, and corresponds to candidate experience in the Industry.

The UK Water Industry consists of:
•   25 water utility organisations (10 WASCOs and 15 WOCOs)
•   4 regulators
•   10 major engineering/ environmental consultancies
•   Approx. 160 equipment/chemical supply companies
•   4 operation/ maintenance contractors

Key functional processes in the UK Water Industry value chain are:
1.   build
2.   own
3.   operation/maintenance
4.   optimise/extend/strategise

UK engineering jobs are graded according to experience. They typically range from assistant to principal.
An entry-level assistant can expect a starting salary of £21000 (circa £15/hour).
Principals (with between approx. 1-8 years experience) can expect a gross salary in the region of £37000 (circa £26/hour).

Salaries will be affected by: project specific experience, the size/financial strength of employer, project size and timescale and location.

Career opportunities in this sector are integrally intertwined with CAPITAL INVESTMENT CYCLES.
In this sector there is typically a 5 year cycle (ASSET MANAGEMENT PERIODS or AMPs). Industry employment is closely tied to investment. Typically the highest capital spend falls within years 2-3 of an AMP. This capital expenditure usually goes toward delivery of engineering projects, which understandably links to good employment prospects for engineers.
The next AMP boom is expected from Oct 2011 through 2013.

WHAT CRITERIA ARE EMPLOYERS LOOKING FOR?

Employment opportunities in the UK Water Industry vary in functional focus, but pre-requisite qualifications and skills-set include...

Higher Education:

1) Civil engineering, environmental science (physical), geography (physical), geology geophysics geotechnology, mechanical engineering.

2) Chartered Engineer (CEng) / Chartered Scientist (CSci) / Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv)

3) HND/ Foundation degree
Incoprorated Engineer (IEng)

JOB DESCRIPTION: WATER ENGINEER

‘Water engineer’ is a generic title given of engineers in the water-based projects which usually deal with the provision of clean water, disposal of waste water and sewage and prevention of flood damage.

Asset management plays a major part in a water engineers’ job: repair, maintenance and building of structures that control water resources (e.g. sea defence walls, pumping stations, reservoirs).

Engineers are constantly addressing new challenges and problems, for example those caused by global warming, ageing infrastructure, population growth, and higher quality standards.

Work activities combine technical and non-technichal tasks. The exact mix depends on the employment sector involved (see above) seniority of the post and location (office/site-based). Understandably there are differences between sectors (e,g working in water supply/treatment and flood prevention), but many general engineering functions apply across the board.

For up-to-date advice and listings of engineering job opportunities in the UK Water Industry, visit http://www.waterecruit.com

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The UK Water Industry Jobs Portal - the premier online location for UK Water engineer job postings, advice and tips.