Within the sector of engineering there are plenty of ways to access it as a career depending on your interests and skills.

Although many people use engineering college courses and engineering apprenticeship schemes to gain the experience they require it is also possible to gain the knowledge from joining the army as a Royal Engineer.

There is a great history behind the Royal Engineers and below is some more information on the Royal engineering as a career and how it began;

History of Royal Engineering

It is thought the history of Royal Engineering goes as far back as William the Conqueror and became well established as an army function during the 15th Century.

Although royal engineers were recognised as an army function they weren't actually controlled by the Commander in Chief of the Forces until 1855 which is when they were technically Army Engineers.

Before this point the royal engineers were ruled by a Board of Ordnance consisting of a group of Artificer companies.

Royal Engineer Qualifications

To join the team of Royal Engineers you need to have a certain trade or skill set and interests to be able to succeed, some of the various skills you will need and trades that can gain you access are below.

The skills you require to become a royal engineer vary greatly depending on the area of Royal Engineering you want to enter because it is such a varying industry from a vehicle mechanic to a royal engineer dealing with air conditioning.

Although specialising in a certain trade you will be required to carry out soldier duties as the major part of your role. So you will also be required to pass the soldier training before going on to learn the trade you desire.

So the basic requirements you will need to enter the army and to learn a trade such as royal engineering will usually include GCSE's maths, science and English at a grade D minimum. Of course there are certain roles that will require a higher level of education before you can start training for the position.

Careers as a Royal Engineer

There are several options for those working in royal engineering as to where they are based; land, sea, air etc. With each of these areas there are different types of occupation, so knowing the area you want to be based in is very important when choosing your career path.

Even if you know the area you want to work in as a royal engineer but are unsure of what role you would like to pursue as a career then you could gain advice from the army on what may be the best role for you from what skills and qualifications you have.

To find out more about Careers in Engineering visit the Career as an Engineer page.