Spporting graduates struggling with unemployment and rejection?

[anotherglass]

Son (22) graudated last summer with engineering degree. Since then he has been applied for 100+ jobs, had interviews, but never got the job. He volunteers part-time in a charity store and works for a sustainability charity. He is learning another language, and playing in a band. In spite of this, he is steadily becoming demotivated and demoralised by the constant rejection.
Parents of l-t unemployed young adults, how do you deal with this?

That is a good shout. ds1 actually had an interview at one such company as a trainee lathe fitter (they did not advertise but tended to recruit from network links). It was too much of a leap for ds1 as his background was theoretical physics but they definitely said they were keen to appoint graduates to this role and the salary although not great to begin to with did increase reasonably when training had occured.

Is he fluent in more than one language, OP?

Thank you. I have suggested this. x

As a mum of an engineer student, did your son do a masters or o bachelor’s? AS you mentioned 4 years so assumed it may have been masters?

If not, is he taking steps towards becoming a chartered engineer?

it is impressive he got a degree in Aeronautical Engineering a that is so tough, but isn’t it the case that you really need the masters as well to be employed in that field?

Would he consider RAF or Navy? They do good training programmes

I can understand how demoralising this must be for him, and stressful for you.
Having recently supported a grad successfully get a coveted grad place with an aerospace degree, after a year of unsuccessful applications, I would recommend again what worked for him;
Get his profile on LinkedIn- showing what skills he can offer companies. Connect with engineering organisations, professional bodies etc.
This grad was approached via LinkedIn in by an engineering SME, where he has worked for 9 months. Gaining experience and skills meaning he was successful at the
Some companies especially smaller ones trawl linked in to avoid having to deal with thousands of applicants.

Joining professional organisations and attending industry events is also v worthwhile.

Hi, no you don't need a Masters. He has got interviews on the back of BEng. It is competitive though. x

Ah I remember - you posted a few months ago. His major problem regarding engineering is that he doesn’t have an MEng, and his major problem regarding gaining a grad job is the fact that he has a 2:2. I’d strongly think about cleaning both those situations and doing a Masters, or teaching if he’d be prepared to spend a few hours shadowing a Maths teacher?

Thank you and well done to the young grad on landing a job. That is wonderful! I have suggested focussing more on work experience now. He's done this before but is now doubling down again. x

@titchy Are maths teachers ok with a 2:2? So few have that now? It took a friends DS a year to get a job with a 2:2 in maths from Cambridge. He found his niche but it was a slog and he’s still very good at maths!

Yes, the lack of MEng and a 2:2 is an issue so very few posters have dc in this position and would he get into a masters with a 2:2? If teaching is possible, I’d say that was better bet for employment and do they still give the bursary?

Depressing.

No you don't need a Masters. He is applying for jobs outside of Aero as this is incredibly competitive. He has had 3 interviews so far with this practical experience of hands on fixing electrical goods proving attractive to employers.

There are jobs out there, my work is absolutely begging for engineers, so much so they created an apprenticeship program to train up staff from other departments to be engineers! We’re desperate for them and electricians.

Obviously your DS knows to keep looking. Could he perhaps do additional training in the meantime? Both to keep his skills sharp but also learn maybe more specialist skills.

@anotherglass You do need a masters to be a Chartered Engineer. A BEng is an Incorporated engineer - both take some years of CPD after the degree. The degree is just a first step to being a qualified engineer. I imagine your DS might know all of this. So - what’s depressing? Teaching? Finding your niche after a year?

@anotherglass

OP, re the Air Engineer Officer option, it would be a good idea to make his initial enquiry now, as there are a few stages to work through during the process.

I would imagine that a successful applicant would be placed in one of the Dartmouth intakes next year, perhaps in the New Year.

Does the RAF take a 2:2?

Op if he was in the top 3 of his speciality why did he get a 2:2?

Is his skill set something he could utilise to start his own business? I'm just thinking, if the jobs aren't there via the traditional route could he make work for himself? I'm self employed (very very different sector) and I don't earn a huge amount but I am nonetheless working, bringing in a wage, even if small - I'm making money using my skills, maybe your son could do the same. Not necessarily as an engineer but he must have tonnes of transferrable skills he could utilise to do all sorts of things.

The top 3 university in his speciality. He had a medical condition which had impacted his academic performance but was only diagnosed late into 3 year. He is treated now and doing much better.

Yes a 2:2 is fine in Maths. Think about it - schools aren’t teaching final year undergraduate stuff to kids are they? And PGCEs are about teaching technique and skills, not subject enhancement (separate subject enhancement courses are available though). And surely you must be aware of the absolute dire shortage of Maths teachers? Hence why they get a £30k bursary to train.

So sorry that you and your DS are going through it. I consult with some companies in aeronautics and they are actually doing better than ever, and all are hiring, especially in the arms and defence sector.

If he is getting interviews, his degree, his CV, and his volunteering are working. He seems to have an "interview leak" that needs fixing. I don't know if you've answered it before, but can he get himself an interview coach? One that is familiar with the sector, because it's so specific.

What I've seen in fresh graduates time and time again: Aerospace companies aren't just looking for people who love planes and drones; they are businesses. If he can't articulate how a project affects manufacturing costs, supply chains, or regulatory compliance, he will lose out to candidates who do.

It's probably hard after a year, but if he's coming across as just looking for a job - any job - the companies will pass him over. Also, he shouldn't talk down his charity job and treat his volunteering as a side note or placeholder. Sustainability is where the entire aerospace sector is investing, he should make his volunteering there look intentional.

Looking for a job abroad my be hard, because the entire sector is tied to national security. Unless he is looking at purely civil, non-defense aviation roles in specific hubs (like the Middle East or commercial aviation hubs in the EU like DHL in Leipzig), looking abroad as a fresh graduate is an uphill battle. He will likely get a much higher return on investment by fixing his UK interview strategy.

Is he is only applying to airlines and aerospace primes (like BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, or Airbus)? I would advise him to look a bit further, he should try applying to wind turbine manufacturers (Vestas, Siemens Gamesa, ,ORE - they are hiring like crazy), engineering consultancies like DNV, Wood PLC, Mott MacDonald, automotive companies (they have all stopped hiring, but it's still worth it to try JLR or WAE), or rail & infrastructure companies.

He needs to tweak the language on his CV and in his interviews. Employers in these fields sometimes worry that an aeronautical graduate is too niche or just wants to work on jets.

I wish you luck!

He is reluctant to do a Masters after 4 years at Uni ( did Foundation year). I don't blame him but he is now putting this on the table.

Someone mentioned thread about her sporting sciences son, and this is exactly
how I had misread the title too. I suggest you change the title (is that possible?) to refer specifically to an aeronautical engineering graduate.

Your son will have Maths and Physics and those subjects are greatly in demand for teachers so that is very good news.

He is also getting interviews - many aren’t reaching that hurdle - and that means something will come through.

Could your son write and ask to shadow unpaid for a week eg senior people in the defence industry? Be open about why.

My other thought is banking and research analyst posts - do many aeronautical grads go into this area? I don’t know but it is perhaps worth an unsolicited letter to banks with a strength in the area.

Ultimately, the fact that your son is getting interviews tells me he will get a job offer - he’s in the mix - but I appreciate the current stage is very hard and demoralising for everyone involved. I feel for you OP.

If he did do a masters, it would be a chance to show that he actually can get better grades, and put him closer to being chartered.

He has to want to do it though. Slogging through it would be pointless.

Last thought - lateral one and maybe a horrible one in all the circumstances of the UK - who is your MP? Could you make contact with him or she and could he or she introduce your son to the relevant Defence specialist in that party? Again with a view to shadowing for a week. Or of course a job.

Thinktanks must want people with such degrees at present.

Would he consider accountancy?

Last thought - online courses on business and commerce to add to his skillset and keep up morale.

Thank you so much! x