The Student Engineer to host a live advice clinic at MENE 2024

The Student Engineer is a brand-new newsletter and online channel dedicated to students and graduates who are embarking on their first role in engineering.

With its lively blend of news, careers advice, interviews with leading employers, inspiring profiles of successful graduate engineers and - of course - information on the latest job opportunities, The Student Engineer aims to help students map out a clearer route into the profession, while also helping industry to communicate more effectively with the engineers of tomorrow.

At MENE – taking place at the Vertu Motors Arena in Newcastle – The Student Engineer will be hosting a live advice clinic where students can ask our regular expert columnists careers questions, meet and connect with like-minded young engineers, and learn more about the wide-array of different sectors and roles that make up the engineering industry as a whole.

Expert advice columnists

John Parkes, Head of Charity at Enginuity and co-founder of Get My First Job

Having worked internationally for several large PLCs in the education, skills and organisational development space, John co-founded a social enterprise – Get My First Job – to support people leaving education into work. 15 years on, it now places over 30,000 people into work each year.

In 2024 John became Head of Charity at Enginuity, with the mission to find new and innovative ways to close the growing skills gap in engineering and manufacturing. John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and was recently appointed onto the UCAS Apprenticeship Steering Group.

Paul Gibbens, UK&I Engineering Director at Hays

Paul began his recruitment career in 2005 before joining Hays in November 2019. Paul is an experienced customer focused director with extensive knowledge of the nuclear, MOD & defence, oil & gas, rail, power generation, petrochemical, chemical, renewable energy, and manufacturing industries.

Paul has a wealth of experience and insights when it comes to the employment market, regularly contributes to engineering webinars, events and publications and can offer valuable advice for leading a fulfilling career within the world of engineering.

Students can ask questions around a variety of topics, including CV and cover letter writing; practical interview tips; utilising AI tools and technologies; and how the engineering industry, and the scope of jobs on offer, is changing.  

Register for the free-to-attend Manufacturing and Engineering North East show here.