You might be wondering why a company would refuse to help an engineer advance in an engineer. Your first thought might be that it's too expensive. That couldn't' be it though, considering a highly trained engineer could bring in more money. Therefore there must be another reason for companies not advancing those in engineer careers.
The first thing you will need to understand is that manufacturing engineer jobs are a dime a dozen. Engineers, particularly at the lower levels can be replaced at a disturbingly fast pace! So now you have a piece of the puzzle. Let's keep going.
Those who hold engineer careers and are just out of college are what are known as the 'small fish' in a company. There are many companies that fear they won't have anyone to boss around if they advance their employees. Okay, so that's one answer for those in manufacturing engineer jobs.
The other big reason is that a CEO might believe advancing their employees could bring about that one engineer that has the knowledge to replace them. You can't outright fire an employee for no real reason, so the best way is to keep the employee contained by either refusing training, or by telling them that seeking higher education is their business and their business alone. It seems cold, but that's how many in engineer careers are treated these days.
There is a danger with not promoting or advancing those with jobs in engineering. What if a CEO dies? Or what if he or she leaves? This would leave a major gap of knowledge, especially if the company refused to advance any of their employees! Regardless, many companies hinge their entire operation on containing their employees and making sure that they don't become a threat. When this happens, many employees will begin looking for a new place to work, but in this economic climate work can be hard to find and it's a common story for an engineer to just be stuck.
There are many manufacturing engineer jobs out there; it's just hard to find the right one sometimes. Always do your research, before you go to work for a particular company! Talk to both current and past employees to see if they benefited from their time at the company. You would be utterly amazed at how much you can learn just by talking to these people. Do make sure that you get a variety of opinions though, as relying on a single one might not give you the best view of that particular company.
Now you know why companies tend to stop advancing their employees. In some cases it really is pathetic and damaging, but that's just the way it goes and some things will never change. All you can do is make sure that you join a reputable company so that you can get the most out of your engineering career.
