The significant investment in the UK’s infrastructure continues to bolster demand for specialist engineering skills, according to the leading specialist recruitment consultancy, Hays Engineering. Those professionals who can demonstrate experience working on the railways, highways, bridges, in transport planning, or in environmental and drainage roles are all highly sought after by employers.

The upgrading of the rail infrastructure has bolstered demand for rail engineers: projects are varied and can encompass station design and refurbishment to resignalling and maintenance schemes. The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) or High Speed 1 (HS1) link is a prominent example of major investment in the rail industry. “Rail, signal and electrification engineers are all keenly sought specialist skills. Roles for rail engineers exist at all levels of experience, from graduate and intermediate through to senior engineering jobs appointments,” said Sean Fitzgerald, senior consultant at Hays Engineering.

The recent spate of flooding that has wreaked havoc across parts of the UK has reinforced the need for land drainage and flood defence expertise, as local authorities and the Environment Agency work closely to mitigate the damaging effects of future flooding by conducting flood risk and alleviation studies. “The demand for land drainage engineers has spiralled and the recommendations from Sir Michael Pitt’s Flood Review final report (2008) have only added to the importance of these specialist roles,” stressed Grant Edwards, manager for Hays Engineering.

Transport planning and modelling expertise is another specialist area that is in demand, as the need for assessing the transport impact of developments, traffic and people flow in and around the UK’s major conurbations becomes ever greater. “Technical modelling skills and knowledge of industry simulation and traffic modelling packages, such Vissim, Vissum, Saturn and Transyt are all prized skill sets,” commented Katherine Whipps, Manager at Hays Engineering.

The assessment and inspection of bridge structures has also created opportunities for qualified structural bridge engineers and bridge inspectors to work on the UK’s canals and estuaries. “Knowledge of bridge design software and the BS5400 cod of practice are pre-requisites,” added Katherine Whipps.

While engineering recruitment has slowed in some sectors as the result of the economic downturn, continued investment in the UK’s infrastructure has not affected the demand for drainage, rail, highways, bridges, environmental and transport engineers. All roles require experience and typically knowledge of sector specific design packages but employers are also looking for individuals with excellent communication and people skills who can also demonstrate leadership potential.

 

About Hays Engineering
Hays Engineering is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group, and specialises in engineering jobs including traffic engineering jobs and rail engineering jobs. Hays are market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. On 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:
– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

Via EPR Network
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