TARGETjobs contacted students at 120 universities across the UK to judge its annual National Graduate Recruitment Awards, which were held last week in London.

Here are the top engineering employers across four key areas:

Most popular firm for design and manufacturing engineering: Rolls-Royce

It’s literally the Rolls-Royce of engineering firms; not the car manufacturer but the power systems firm that designs and builds aircraft engines, submarine nuclear reactors and other energy technology for everything from trains to oil rigs. The company recruits a wide range of engineers and offers a starting salary of £27,500.

Most popular civil engineering firm: Arup

Engineers at Arup have helped design some of the world’s most iconic buildings from the Gherkin to the Sydney Opera House. But a job at one of the UK’s leading engineering consultancies could mean working on anything from renewable energy to electric vehicle schemes. For that reason Arup looks for all types of engineers – not just civils – and offers a reported starting salary of £25,000-£26,000.

Most popular energy firm: BP

Working at BP could mean heading off to an offshore oil rig, but it could also mean developing new fuels in a high-tech lab or designing complex new oil-recovery technologies. The company has cut back its recruitment in response to the downturn in the oil industry but is still taking on 85 graduates this year, offering reported starting salaries of between £32,000 and £34,000.

Most popular firm for scientific research and development: GlaxoSmithKline

GSK is responsible not just for developing medicines and vaccines for some of the world’s most infectious diseases but also for manufacturing them. And for this it needs a talented team of mechanical, electrical and chemical engineers to design and develop advanced technological systems, offering a reported average starting salary of £28,000.

Two other awards were also won by engineering employers.

Best undergraduate internship provider: IBM

IBM needs engineers to develop hardware and software products and systems but also to enable its consultancy business to stay on top of the changing world of technology. Its year-long placements and summer internships give students the chance to work on real projects for high-profile clients. Graduates start on £30,000 a year.

Best recruiter for diversity: National Grid

National Grid plans, builds and operates the infrastructure that keeps the country’s power flowing and the lights on. As with many engineering firms, the company is on a drive to ensure it attracts talented people no matter who they are, partnering with organisations such as the Women’s Engineering Society and making it into Stonewall’s top 100 employers for LGBT people. Graduate salaries start at £26,500 to £27,500.

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