Engineering students have reasons to feel good about themselves this week and not just because it’s the 65th anniversary of Engineers Week, an annual seven-day celebration of the profession.
Unlike some professions, graduates of nearly all engineering disciplines are sought after these days, reversing a dip in the career field that took place during the recession years 2007-2009.
“It’s a great time now to be an engineer,” said Vicki Kuntz, director of the career development center at the University of Toledo’s College of Engineering.
“I think mechanical [engineers] are always in high demand, but right now I can’t say that any discipline is in higher demand than another,” she said. “What I can say is there are variables.”
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Mechanical engineers are in high demand in the Great Lakes states as manufacturing has rebounded. However, jobs are available for other fields, such as civil engineering and bio-engineering, but graduating students may find they have to relocate to land a job, she said.
The university is playing host to several events this week to celebrate Engineers Week. Other events, including an awards luncheon Monday and a banquet on Thursday, are sponsored by a engineering organizations and area companies.
Travis Rhoades, president of the Toledo Society of Professional Engineers, said students looking to join the engineering ranks are doing so at a good time.
“In general, I think things are starting to come back. We had a downturn with the rest of the economy in 2008 and 2009.
But demand is starting to come back for engineering jobs,” said Mr. Rhoades, an engineer at Mannik & Smith of Maumee.
Civil engineering remained strong despite the downturn thanks to government spending on infrastructure, Mr. Rhoades said.
But students in other disciplines are seeing more opportunities.
Scott Molitor, UT interim associate dean for undergraduate studies and a faculty member in bio-engineering, said enrollment among engineering students has been growing. In the fall of 2004, the university had 2,300 students; last fall it had 3,474 students.
The university is one of just eight engineering programs nationwide that requires students to have three semesters of internship experience.
Mr. Kuntz said the school’s “co-op program” has served students well as nearly all get hired upon graduation, often with a company at which they interned.
On Wednesday, the school will host a career fair. More than 130 companies have signed up to attend to fill internships and full-time engineering positions, she said.
Based on 2014 data, UT engineering students are receiving starting salaries of $60,0000 for bio-engineering degrees, $64,000 for chemical engineering, $55,000 for civil engineering, $56,000 for computer science, $61,000 for electrical engineering, and $62,000 for mechanical engineering, Ms. Kuntz said.
She said that several companies have indicated they expect significant retirements soon of engineers, so they will be looking to replace them.
Contact Jon Chavez at: jchavez@theblade.com or 419-724-6128.
First Published February 23, 2016, 5:00 a.m.