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Agricultural engineer Green Job

Agricultural engineers build, service and repair agricultural, horticultural and forestry machinery and equipment.

Annual Salary

£25,000 to £45,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

39 to 41 a week

You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Agricultural engineer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

In your day-to-day duties, you might:

  • assess the environmental impact of agricultural production methods
  • supervise building projects, like land drainage, reclamation and irrigation
  • solve engineering problems, like designing vehicles for all ground and weather conditions
  • test and install new equipment, like harvesters or crop sprayers
  • use GPS, weather data and computer modelling to give advice on land use
  • plan service and repair programmes for machinery

Working environment

You could work in an office, on a farm or in a laboratory.

Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • a college course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
University

You can do a foundation degree or degree in agricultural engineering or agricultural machinery engineering. These courses are offered by land-based engineering institutions.

You can also get into this career with a higher national diploma or degree in environmental, electrical or mechanical engineering.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • at least 1 A level, or equivalent, for a foundation degree
  • between 1 and 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a higher national diploma or degree
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
College

A level 2 or level 3 Diploma in Land-based Technology or Agricultural Engineering may get you started in this role.

You could also do a T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production.

Entry requirements
  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to T Levels|https://www.tlevels.gov.uk/
  • funding advice|https://www.gov.uk/further-education-courses/financial-help
  • search for agricultural colleges|https://nlbc.uk/partners/members/
Apprenticeship

You may be able to start by doing a land-based service engineering technician advanced apprenticeship.

This usually takes about 36 months to complete as a mix of on the job learning and study.

Once working, you would complete further training to become an engineer.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Work

You could work as an agricultural engineering technician and train on the job to qualify as an engineer.

More information

Further information

You can get more advice about careers and training from:We are land-based engineering; Institution of Agricultural Engineers; Landbased Engineering Training and Education Committee; The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture

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With experience you could move into project management or specialist technical research and development.

You could also work towards incorporated or chartered engineer status by applying to the Engineering Council. As a chartered engineer you'll plan, research and develop new ideas. The Institution of Agricultural Engineers has more information.

You could also move into technical sales, business development, teaching or consultancy work.

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Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • complex problem-solving skills
  • knowledge of engineering science and technology
  • design skills and knowledge
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • analytical thinking skills
  • concentration skills
  • the ability to work well with others
  • persistence and determination
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
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