Entry-level engineering jobs remain low while total roles increase 80%

Engineering vacancies have surged by more than 80% over the past year, but the proportion of entry-level roles has remained largely unchanged, raising concerns that aspiring engineers are being left behind despite record demand for talent.

Andy Burnham’s new plans to give young people the option to study technical skills such as engineering and manufacturing in school have come at a time when entry-level engineering vacancies are just 9% of total engineering vacancies in the UK. 

Experts are warning that more needs to be done to increase entry-level roles in these sectors amidst fears of AI automation replacing the apprenticeship and learning process of engineering. 

New research from the precision engineering experts at Accu has analysed engineering job postings across the UK in the past year to discover that the country may face a rookie engineering drought, despite the fact that there’s been a huge 80% increase in total engineering jobs since June last year. 

Key findings:

• An average of just 9% of engineering vacancies in the past year have been entry-level roles, despite total vacancies increasing by 80%.
• Bath has the highest proportion of entry-level engineering jobs in the UK, with 16% of engineering vacancies classified as entry-level.
• Bradford has the lowest proportion of entry-level vacancies in the UK at just 4%, giving budding engineers little opportunity.
• The Environmental & Sustainability sector has the highest proportion of entry-level engineering opportunities across all engineering disciplines analysed at 16%.

Entry-level engineering jobs remain low while total roles increase 80%:

For the complete data of all cities analysed, please click here.

Back in June 2025, there were a total of just 3,466 engineering vacancies, with 243 (7.01%) being entry-level jobs. The number of total vacancies has rapidly increased since then, with January 2026 being the peak, with 28,819 total vacancies and 2450 (8.50%) entry-level jobs, and most recently, June 2026 had 25,410 vacancies with 1,807 (7.73%) being entry-level.

The proportion of entry-level vacancies hit its peak in September 2025 with 15.18% of the 9072 total vacancies at entry level, which is expected as September is the start of the educational term time where a higher volume of apprentices and graduates will be recruited. November 2025 saw the highest total of entry-level vacancies with 2,849, however this is just 12.38% of the 23,008 total vacancies that month.  

In June 2026, despite a much higher volume of entry-level vacancies recorded, the proportion of entry-level jobs available was nearly 1% lower than it was this time last year. 

Bath has the highest proportion of entry-level engineering jobs in the UK, with 16% of engineering vacancies classified as entry-level out of the 554 vacancies last year, which is 7% above the UK average of 9%. This is likely because the University of Bath has one of the UK’s strongest engineering schools, with highly regarded programmes in various types of engineering. Many local employers recruit directly from the university, increasing the share of graduate and junior roles.

In second place, Brighton has a high concentration of entry-level vacancies, with 14.90% of 773 total vacancies last year. Brighton benefits from a well-established technology and innovation ecosystem, supported by its universities and a growing community of startups.

Swindon is in third place with 14.70% of the 863 engineering vacancies in the city last year being entry-level. Swindon has an established engineering and manufacturing sector with many employers consistently investing in graduate schemes. 

Bradford has been revealed as the city with the lowest proportion of entry-level engineering vacancies in the UK, with just 4.40% of 685 vacancies in the past year classed as entry-level. This could be down to the fact that nearby Leeds is a much larger engineering hub in Yorkshire, with Leeds having a bigger proportion of entry-level vacancies at 10.40% of 5,534 vacancies being entry-level (the 13th largest). 

Portsmouth has the second lowest proportion with 5.60% of 1,254 vacancies being entry-level. Portsmouth is home to major employers in naval, defence and marine engineering, many of which require specialist experience or security clearance, potentially reducing the share of entry-level vacancies.

The third lowest proportion of entry-level vacancies is in Bournemouth, with just 5.80% of 653 vacancies being entry-level. Bournemouth’s relatively small engineering sector and lower concentration of major engineering employers likely contribute to a smaller share of entry-level vacancies.

Alastair Morris, Managing Director at Accu, comments:

“Giving more young people the opportunity to study engineering and manufacturing in school is a positive step, but education is only one part of the equation. Our research found that, on average, just 9% of engineering vacancies advertised over the past year were aimed at entry-level candidates, despite overall demand for engineers increasing significantly.

“If the UK is serious about tackling its engineering skills shortage, businesses need to continue investing in apprenticeships, graduate schemes and junior engineering roles. Without those first opportunities, it’s much harder for young people to gain the practical experience needed to develop into the highly skilled engineers that the industry depends on.

“AI will undoubtedly become an increasingly valuable tool for engineers. However, it shouldn’t replace the learning process. Engineering is a profession built on hands-on experience, problem-solving and mentorship, and those skills are developed by working alongside experienced engineers. If entry-level opportunities begin to disappear in favour of automation, the industry risks creating a long-term skills gap where there are fewer experienced engineers available in the future.”