Careers in renewable energy

My son has expressed an interest in a career in renewable energy technology. I enquired about it on the IET forum and ended up with a reply telling him he could do a lot worse than get a good undergraduate degree in electrical or mechanical engineering and take appropriate specialist modules in the final year or do a masters. He's only interested in studying for a degree if there are strong connections between the university and industry.

My brother did a masters in electronic engineering. There are two universities near us - one organises it's courses very much with the idea fo getting certain jobs and works with industry (the other doesn't). So it's worth looking around. A friend of mine is currently applying for a job at the former one which will be arranging appropriate support for students with aspergers and/or dyslexia.

This is the sort of answer you expect from someone on the IET forum. The IET is very pro-degree and wants to see engineer become a protected status where the only people legally allowed to call themselves engineers have to hold an IET accredited degree. At the moment anybody in Britain can call themselves an engineer even if they have no qualifications and repair washing machines for a living. It is estimated that only half of all holders of an IET accredited degrees are members of the IET.

My recommendation is to investigate the renewable energy industry; make some contacts with people inside; then find out what skills and qualifications they want. If they want people with degrees then find out which universities and courses they have a preference for and why. It might even be possible to get sponsored which will drastically reduce the cost of going to university and result in a career when you leave. Lucy is right about some universities having connections with industry and organising their courses with the idea to getting certain jobs, and others that don't. If you go to university the its best to find one with good connections with the industry you want to work in rather than some high ranking redbrick teaching a load of dry theory.