Top future Engineering skills to watch out for

Read Time: ​2:08
In the last 10 years, various Engineering skills have been identified as some of the top 10 scarce skills in the country. The National Scarce Skills list has indicated that at least 13 engineering-related skills are sought after in the job market and this industry offers some of the highest employment potentials in South Africa. This includes the more familiar skills like Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering but more recently, there are also a few new skills slowly starting to emerge as the industry evolves and technology becomes vital. We look at some new skills to watch out for in the future.

UAV Engineering
Drones or rather UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are everywhere. High priced and low, they are the decade's new toy. If you have one, you make sure to show it off. If you don't, you really want one. Global companies are also exploring possibilities in UAV technology, from the expected tech brands like Amazon to surprising corporations like Mcdonald's. Already many construction engineering projects are incorporating UAVs because of their ingenuity, practicality, and affordability. Once their versatility shows on the business's bottom line, UAVs will be active throughout the industry. Many companies are just starting to integrate this kind of technology but the demand is sure to increase in the future and Drone Engineers could open up a new career path for many.

Structural Engineering for the future
Architecture is a constantly evolving profession, and with it, city planners and structural engineers have to keep up. Today's engineers have their work cut out for them with recent pushes for urban sustainability and modern aesthetics. Construction more and more will be making use of advanced materials. Carbon Fibre, Graphene, High Strength compacting concretes, intelligent cladding which can alter opacity to changes in sunlight, increase or decrease heat absorption from surfaces, will be the norm. It's a sector that's on the brink of massive development, and the job itself is set to evolve into something that encompasses so much more than the traditional concepts of structural design.

Sensor Programmer and system integrator
As more products get equipped with sensors, they become part of the significantly growing Internet of Things. Enabling all Internet-connected sensors to talk to each other is turning into an even bigger problem. With technology, your wearable fitness device can monitor your exercise and your fridge can order eggs when you're running low. The real problem occurs when your fitness device tells your refrigerator you worked out much more today and it doubles your order of protein drinks. That might not be a typical example, but the demand for engineers who can program and integrate sensors is on the rise.

The reality is that in this rapidly evolving, technologically-driven job market engineering is thriving and job opportunities for the right candidates are ample.

This is good news if you are one of the few qualified and experienced in the Engineering industry, not so much if you are looking for Engineering skills in your business. Either way, if you are a candidate or a client as a specialist engineering recruitment agency, we can assist. Our specialist engineering recruitment team has access to highly skilled engineering candidates and engineering jobs in civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, electronic, engineering sales, production, and trade fields. Get connected with us today.