Engineering graduates for industry - Royal Academy of Engineering

Engineering graduates for industry
4.5. London South Bank University, Faculty of Engineering, Science and the Built
Environment
Background
With over 25,000 students, LSBU is one of the largest universities in London and has an unusual demographic when
compared with other UK universities. In 2007/08, 48% of students were part-time, 68% were aged 25 or over, 50% were
from ethnic minorities and 86% were from the UK 64 . “We do and must continue to accept students who are able to benefit
from higher education from the widest range of backgrounds and develop our skills at assessing their real potential” (Corporate
Plan, 2009–2012 65 ). The Faculty of Engineering, Science and the Built Environment contributes just over 20% of the
student body and comprises the Departments of Applied Science; Engineering and Design; Built Environment and
Urban Engineering. This case study is mainly restricted to a detailed review of Building Services Engineering in the
Department of Urban Engineering. The unusual student demographic of the University applies equally to the Faculty.
For example, Building Services Engineering attracts a student profile that is over 80% part-time with an average age of
around 30. The part-time students attend courses one day per week. Almost all of these students are ‘non-standard’
entry, rather than school leavers with A-levels. The Faculty provides flexible interconnecting pathways through various
educational ladders that include HNC/D, foundation degrees, undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes
through to PhD level research.
LSBU is ranked in sixth place for graduate starting salaries in the Times Good University Guide 2010, demonstrating the
high value employers place on the skills of LSBU graduates 66 . 87% of E&T UK graduates from LSBU are employed or in
further study within six months of graduating and almost half have entered engineering related careers. When only
part-time students are considered then the numbers employed or in further study increases to 90%, with nearly 60% in
engineering related careers.
LSBU was chosen as the lead university for the London Engineering Project. This is a HEFCE-funded, RAEng project aimed
at promoting STEM subjects in London schools and colleges. The chief aim of the project is to attract into engineering
groups that have been under-represented, particularly women and ethnic minorities. Recruitment of students to
engineering programmes at LSBU has been enhanced by its involvement in the London Engineering Project.
Overview of industry related components within the undergraduate engineering programmes
LSBU provide the largest number of Building Services Engineering graduates in the UK 67 . Building Services Engineering
deals with the analysis, design and operation of the internal built environment, whilst maximising sustainability, and has
a very wide ranging remit, covering lifts,
heating, cooling, lighting, drainage and the
energy generating systems necessary to power
these processes.
Building Services Engineering is considered to
be a fairly buoyant industry and will have an
increasingly crucial role to play in the
development and implementation of energy
efficiency within buildings. Recent local,
national and EU policies on energy efficiency
also impinge upon the discipline. For example,
the EU has defined an ‘energy performance of
buildings directive’ that requires the energy
certification of buildings. This is establishing a
new tier of consultants in the industry.
Consequently academic staff are confident, particularly in the longer term, that students are highly likely to find jobs at
the end of their courses and that there will always be a healthy requirement for the good students in this area.
64
www1.lsbu.ac.uk/about/factsAndFigures.shtml65
65
www1.lsbu.ac.uk/about/documents/corporatePlan/corpplan0912.pdf66
66
extras.timesonline.co.uk/pdfs/highestgraduatestartingsalaries.pdf
67
www.lsbu.ac.uk/esbe/engineering/BS.shtml
The Royal Academy of Engineering 31