Sector Profiles

Estimated graduate starting salary: £14,000 - £23,000
Typical salary after training: £25,000 - £38,000

Manufacturing is critically important to the UK's economic vitality and sustainability. According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), manufacturing accounts for about 15 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) and employs just under 4 million people. This consitutes around 14% of everyone working in UK, although this sector is nowhere near the employment figures of the service industries where over 20 million are employed. According to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), over 2.4 million jobs in service industries depend on manufacturing. Manufacturing revolves around the production of goods to meet design specifications, quality controls and customer requirements.

Within manufacturing, the top four industries in the UK measured by production value are food and drink, chemicals, motor vehicles and machinery. Manufacturing stability is heavily dependent on the economy. Decades of economic instability, coupled with under investment, high interest rates and over-regulation have left manufacturing reeling. One by one manufacturing industries have contracted or disappeared. Coal production has all but ceased and the steel industry is currently in crisis, with swinging job cuts being implemented.

Economic factors have a direct impact on the success or otherwise of the sector. Recently, the strong pound has made British exports more expensive than other international goods. Economic wisdom says that joining the single currency could help the sector enormously. Cheaper labour and operating costs abroad, the cost of dealing with new environmental legislation and the global collapse of the telecom and technology sector in 2001 have also had an effect.

External factors also take their toll. For example, the war against Iraq in 2003 caused a slowdown, which was shared by the manufacturing industry across the world. Manufacturing firms were squeezed by a combination of falling demand and higher input prices caused by the spiralling cost of oil. Companies were running down stocks in an attempt to protect profit margins. The general uncertainty affecting the global economic outlook was felt by all.

Some industries, such as shipbuilding, have declined whereas others have grown, for example high technology industries such as pharmaceuticals and electronics. Times are tough at the moment however the view from the Government is that modern manufacturing is central to our future as a leading knowledge driven economy, playing an important role both in the economy and in the everyday lives of people. The industry still requires graduate from different disciplines and it is crucial that we compete in knowledge, skills and creativity, even if we can't match the lower production costs of other countries.

More optimistically there are signs of improvement across the economy. The Government is confident that with new technologies transforming every product, production process and service, manufacturing can survive in the long term. In particular, they point to the strength Britain has in innovation, and the leading role Britain takes in pharmaceuticals and aerospace. There are also government initiatives in place for work on the railways and for affordable housing - these projects will need materials supplied by manufacturers.

Traditionally manufacturing covers a wide variety of career areas including engineering, design, transport, logistics, distribution, research and development, scientific work, administration and management. These jobs are available throughout the UK but mainly in urban centres and industrial areas.

 

Graduate employers range from big multinational companies to specialist small and medium-sized businesses. The larger manufacturing or processing plants are located near ports, close to natural resources, or in major industrial centres close to potential customers. With the multinationals, there may be opportunities to work abroad. There are many posts open to graduates and in some roles there are skills shortages. Good rates of pay and incentives are offered for university graduates of a specific calibre.

The UK has a strong position in hi-tech, hi-value manufacturing. If we are to remain competitive, more technical expertise is needed. This is where graduate opportunities will be found - focusing on improving processes and efficiency. Efficiency is the key word in manufacturing.

Production Planners are responsible for designing and implementing production schedules, which basically means specifying what the product is to be made out of, how long it will take to make and how much it will cost.

On the managment side, Purchasing Managers (or buyers) on an industrial level will obtain all the necessary "ingredients" to make the product, combining quality and cost effectiveness where possible. Production Managers are responsible for coordinating schedules at ground level and making sure supplies and manpower are running to full capacity. Quality Assurance Managers monitor and test all the stages along the way to the finished products, to make sure that the products meet with design specifications, that they are properly made, packed, labelled and transported.

Production Engineers design, create and maintain the process equipment and facilities. They keep the production facility running smoothly. Every time a new product is put into manufacture, engineers will be called upon to either adapt existing machinery or write a new machine specification. They take into account the amount of product it needs to churn out, how often it will be needed and how it can fit in with existing machinery. They also decide how it will be operated, cleaned and maintained. As with other positions in this area, a technical background is important as well as the ability to work with other people.

Naturally, the manufacturing industry offers careers in a number of support roles. Jobs are available for graduates in finance, marketing and IT, to name but a few. Also expect that no two days will ever be the same, especially in a managerial position where there will be a thousand and one things to co-ordinate and plan. Many companies make more than one product, so the opportunities for moving into different career paths may be quite good, especially if you are prepared to work unsocial hours.

There are many opportunities out there for focused graduates, but be prepared to search for them. Consider sectors you wouldn't normally think of. There is often the possibility to move across functions within the industry as well as the chance to develop expertise in a particular field. Opportunities also exist to progress to a team-leader role or a more general managerial position.

Graduates entering the manufacturing sector can expect to be spending some of their days in factories, building sites and industrial plants, which may well be hot, noisy and dirty. You will probably be wearing clothing for functionality not fashion. Opportunities for overseas travel may be available because many manufacturing companies run overseas operations, either within Europe or further afield.

There is no doubt that the structure and size of the manufacturing sector is changing, as are the working conditions – modern manufacturing is, in the main, high tech – and with a few exceptions, very clean. Of course, the more high-tech a factory is, the fewer people it is likely to need. And this is always a problem for manufacturing – better productivity often means fewer jobs. So the sector remains a problematic area of employment. But there are success stories, and there are jobs available, particularly for those graduates with high levels of skills and professional qualifications.

 

Target your job applications carefully. There are more graduates competing for fewer jobs and employers want to see a genuine enthusiasm for the job and the company itself. Show how your work experience and studies have led you to choose manufacturing and demonstrate the skills you've got. Be open minded and flexible about the jobs you may be offered and where they are located. Work experience is invaluable when it comes to finding out what jobs are available in manufacturing, what they involve on a day-to-day basis and which ones you like or dislike. It can also open your eyes to new opportunities. Any relevant work experience you can get to put on your CV will be extremely useful, as long as you make it relevant and use it to show how you have the competencies being asked for. Work experience isn't always that easy to organise as some manufacturing plants do shut down over the summer, limiting opportunities for summer vacation placements.

Relevant university degrees are required for many roles - engineering disciplines like manufacturing, production and process, and management related courses in quality, strategy, purchasing and supply chain and operations. However manufacturing companies welcome applications from graduates of all disciplines. They all have commercial, marketing, purchasing, logistics, finance, HR and IT departments which need skilled employees.

Languages are not always a prerequisite for applying, as a willingness to learn is often sufficient. Employers will be looking at your ability to organise and attention to detail. Some jobs involve a lot of data-crunching so you must be comfortable working with numbers. IT literacy is expected and you should be able to communicate with people at all levels in a confident manner, be able to prioritise tasks effectively and keep to budgets.

Really research the organisation you are applying to. Company websites should give an indication of the selection criteria and competencies the recruiter is looking for. Think about your skills and experience, focus on any positions of responsibility you've held and what you contributed to, or learned from, the experience.

 

The Society of Chemical Industry http://www.soci.org/
Institute of Operations Management www.iomnet.org.uk
Society of Manufacturing Engineers www.sme.org
British Institute of Regulatory Affairs www.bira.org.uk
Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining www.iom3.org