How to become an electronics engineer
Official title: Electronics engineers (professional)
Also called: Engineer, Area engineer, Radar engineer, Radio engineer, Staff engineer, Design engineer, Systems engineer, Telecom engineer, Regional engineer, Telecoms engineer, Broadcast engineer, Microwave engineer
Professional electronics engineers undertake research and design, direct construction and manage the operation and maintenance of electronic motors, communications systems, microwave systems, and other electronic equipment.
Main tasks
- Undertakes research and advises on all aspects of telecoms equipment, radar, telemetry and remote-control systems, data processing equipment, microwaves and other electronic equipment
- Conceives and develops engineering designs from product ideas in electronics engineering
- Determines and specifies appropriate production and/or installation methods and quality and safety standards
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor performance and evaluate designs
- Tests, diagnoses faults and undertakes repair of electronic equipment
How to become one
Professional electronics engineers usually possess an accredited university degree or equivalent qualification. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
Ways in
- Apprenticeship (England): Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0662.
- Apprenticeship (England): Broadcast and media systems engineer (integrated degree) (level 6). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0426.
- Apprenticeship (England): Embedded electronic systems design and development engineer (degree) (level 6). England. Typically 36 months. Skills England standard ST0151.
- University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 25 universities in the UK
Pay · Outlook
- Median full-time pay: £52,518 a year The middle half earn £44,943 to null.
- About 39,900 people work in this job now, and about 44,300 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)
Related jobs
- Civil engineers
- Mechanical engineers (professional)
- Electrical engineers
- Production and process engineers
- Aerospace engineers
- Engineering project managers and project engineers
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Questions people ask
How do I become an electronics engineer?
Professional electronics engineers usually possess an accredited university degree or equivalent qualification. After qualifying, periods of appropriate training and experience are required before membership of a chartered engineering institution is attainable. Incorporated engineers possess an accredited university degree, BTEC/SQA award or an apprenticeship. All routes are followed by periods of appropriate training and relevant experience.
How much does an electronics engineer earn in the UK?
Median full-time pay is £52,518 a year (Office for National Statistics).
Is an electronics engineer a growing career in the UK?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 39,900 to about 44,300 people (Department for Education).
Do you need a degree to become an electronics engineer?
Not always. 49% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Engineering degrees; Automation and controls engineering technician (level 4).
Sources
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.