engineering careers  John Wheal

John Wheal

It was a school visit to an airport that first got a 14 year old John Wheal thinking about all of the complex systems that have to work together to make air travel possible, from departure boards to baggage handling.

Now he’s a systems engineer with NATS, the UK’s leading supplier of air traffic control services. He’s part of a team designing and building the next generation of air traffic control systems. And when those systems are the basis for the safety of 250 million air passengers every year, it’s vital that John and the team get it right.

John Wheal studied Computer Engineering at the University of Portsmouth. He won the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2017 Technician of the Year Award.

Route in Engineering

Engineering can seem like a distant goal. Watch now to discover how it was possible to achieve a career as an Engineer.

Everyone’s engineering journey has to start someone and if you’re someone who’s thinking about embarking on an engineering career pathway, we’ll give you the really good news first. There’s arguably never been a better time be an engineer.

You can find out more by reading our “Careers Guide“.


Learn more about the innovations and creative projects engineers are involved in by watching these “Were You Born to Engineer?” videos.

It does not matter what your interests and passions are, from sport to healthcare – there is an exciting and rewarding role for you in Engineering.

These videos have been produced by creative video producers duckrabbit, under the sponsorship of the ERA Foundation, the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

These videos are useful in the classroom, at master classes or residential courses, STEM clubs or any other forum when the excitement and opportunities of engineering are to be discussed. View our teaching resource page for offline downloads and more information.

They are free for use. Enjoy! Should you wish to download an HD version of any of these videos for off-line use, or indeed a loop of all the videos, please contact [email protected]