Employability

Overview

A degree from the University of Leeds is a significant advantage in today’s job market. The School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering has close links with some of the top recruiters in the industry, including Agilent Technologies, ARM, BAE Systems, Boeing, Bombardier Transportation, BP, BT, CCL, Cisco, Ericsson, ESA, Filtronic, Freescale, Fujitsu, GSK, IBM, Intel, Johnson Matthey, Micromech, Motorola, Nexia Solutions, O2, Pace Micro, QinetiQ, SET, Siemens, Sony, Telecordia, TeraView and Total Motion Controls Ltd.

The School’s strong industrial links is one of the many reasons why Leeds Electronic and Electrical Engineering graduates are highly sought after by employers. It also ensures that your course is industry-orientated and that material is up to date.

Our staff work with numerous companies on wide-ranging research and consultancy projects. We also organise a range of industrial visits and offer additional seminars delivered by practising engineers and other professionals. This means that you have direct contact with industry and potential employers from an early stage in your course.

Here are just a few examples of the School’s strong links with industry.
• Building on long established links with local company Filtronic, we are developing additional links in the areas of energy systems and embedded systems with companies such as ARM and Imagination Technologies.
• Agilent Technologies Wireless Communications Laboratory, equipped with the latest state-of-the-art electronic teaching equipment including Agilent’s bench top spectrum analysers, signal generators and 6000 scope.
• Our new embedded systems laboratory is equipped with the latest embedded system development tools, sponsored by Farnell (Element - 14).
• Farnell has also sponsored the development of a new level 4 module Electronics Industry Dissertation.
• Many companies offer prizes, bursaries and scholarships and are also keen to recruit our graduates for vacation work or after graduation

All of our degrees will equip you with the skills you need to succeed in industry, including design, problem solving, numeracy and analysis skills, together with ‘transferable skills’, such as communication and working as a team.
Careers in the field of Electronic and Electrical Engineering are wide-ranging and employment prospects are excellent. Because of the nature of the electronics industry the demand for high calibre electronic engineering graduates is high and employment opportunities exist both in large multinational corporations and small start-up companies working on next-generation products and technologies.

Recent graduates have been successful in gaining employment with organisations such as ARM Ltd, Sharp, Sony, BAE Systems, Pace, Filtronic, BNFL, AEAT Rail, Ford and the BBC.

Salaries vary from company to company, with some sectors attracting higher salaries due to demand. However typical starting salaries for newly graduated electrical/electronics engineers are in the range of £18,000 - £29,000 with professionally qualified electronics engineers earning between £35,000 and £45,000*

*Prospects May 2010

Industrial placements

All of our courses allow you to undertake work experience as part of your degree in the form of a 12 month industrial placement which usually takes place between years two and three, and have the phrase 'with Industrial Placement Year' added to your degree title. Alternatively you can undertake a work placement through our International Corporate Leadership Programme (ICLP), more information on this placement programme can be found below.

The Schools strong links with industry means that you can apply to undertake a work placement through the University’s prestigious International Corporate Leadership Programme (ICLP), which is a collaboration between the University and a range of internationally based companies.

This programme provides paid for placements and real life projects in companies in the UK and overseas. This gives our students a competitive advantage when starting their career.

The programme involves students, for up to two years, in integrated work placements and company based projects, with both designed to deliver real benefits to the company.

You will benefit from:
• challenging project work experience and work based learning which means you can deliver real benefits to the company
• the real advantage of real work experience giving you an advantage when applying for employment

We also run a Research Internship Scheme, which is provides students with the opportunity to work for 10-12 weeks during the summer with some of our top academics in our world-leading laboratory facilities. The Research Internship Scheme has been operating since October 2007. You can read case studies from previous internships by following the links below:

- 2008 internship
- 2009 internship
- 2010 internship

Many students work part-time, either for the extra money or to gain valuable experience and to improve their future employability. Either way you will find plenty of opportunities through our student employment service - Joblink. This is based on campus in the Students' Union.

Study abroad

The Study Abroad option is available on all of our engineering courses. You may choose to spend a year of your course studying abroad at a university in Europe, North America or even the Far East. You can choose from over 200 institutions from Spain to Singapore. Increasingly valued by employers, this option provides you with a fantastic opportunity to experience life in another country and a different culture. Students who have participated say that they found it a life-changing experience. The Study Abroad programme can help you gain confidence, broaden your horizons and develop skills and experiences which can improve your employability.

If you have foreign language skills, ERASMUS exchanges are available to several European countries. You may be able to take an additional module in your first year to brush up your language skills if you wish to take part in this programme. A second programme, Junior Year Abroad, offers exchanges to the USA, Canada and some Latin American countries. Most Junior Year Abroad exchanges do not require a language other than English. You must, however, achieve a good academic standard to take part in either scheme.

Careers

Our on-campus Careers Centre is one of the largest in the country. It offers an excellent range of services and has a great relationship with graduate recruiters. The Careers Centre is the place to get advice about what to do after university, help with finding work experience, improving your CV and dealing with job applications. The Careers Centre also holds training events and workshops to assist you with your career progression.

The Faculty of Engineering holds an Engineering and Computing Careers Fair, annually, which attracts over 32 graduate recruiters including organisations such as 2e2, AECOM, Atkins, BP, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Her Majesty’s Government Communications Centre, Interfleet Technology Ltd, Network Rail, Procter & Gamble Product Supply, PwC and Unilever Leeds, to name but a few.

The Fair provides you with the chance to explore the opportunities available after graduation. As well as the Engineering Careers Fair, you can explore career opportunities at many other careers fairs and presentations that are organised throughout the year by the University’s Careers Centre. Some of the UK’s top recruiters also visit the Faculty to deliver presentations and workshops specifically for our engineering and computing students.

Leeds for Life

Leeds for Life is a concept which informs the way staff, students, schools, services and alumni work together to ensure you get the most out of university life from day one. Developed in partnership with students themselves, the Leeds for Life website helps identify opportunities to develop your skills, and provides you with an online ‘living CV’ so that you can understand the value of your skills and knowledge and articulate the benefits of your University of Leeds experience.

At the heart of Leeds for Life is personal tutoring where you receive structured one-to-one meetings to support your personal and academic development. This ensures that you not only do well in your degree, but also become a confident, articulate and highly employable graduate.