Engineering
“The UK needs over one million new engineers and technicians by 2020.”
Royal Academy of Engineering
Engineering at Level 3 prepares students with a broad experience of how design and manufacture within industry has helped to shape the world around us. This course will develop your understanding of different Engineering sectors and specialisms.
Entry requirements
Students wishing to study the BTEC Extended Certificate or the Diploma Engineering course are required to achieve 4 x Grade 9-4 or equivalent at GCSE alongside a Grade 4 or above in Mathematics to access Engineering.
Course description
Extended Certificate in Engineering
The Level 3 BTEC Extended Certificate in Engineering is equivalent in size to one A Level. Within this course students will complete 4 units in total. Two units are internally assessed and two units are externally assessed.
Students will complete the following three mandatory units alongside one other internal unit*:
Unit 1: Engineering Principles (examination) – This is a paper based exam. Students will apply mathematical and physical science principles to solve problems.
Unit 2: Delivery of Engineering Processes Safely as a Team – Students will explore how processes are undertaken as a team to create engineering products. They will manufacture components of a product safely as a group.
Unit 3: Engineering Product Design and Manufacture (examination) – Students will explore engineering product design and manufacturing processes. They will respond to a given brief and complete a task based exam over a set number of hours.
Diploma in Engineering
The Level 3 BTEC Diploma in Engineering is equivalent in size to two A Levels. Within this course students will complete 10 units in total. Eight units are internally assessed and two units are externally assessed.
Students will complete the following five mandatory units alongside five other internally assessed units*:
Unit 1: Engineering Principles (examination) – This is a paper based exam. Students will apply mathematical and physical science principles to solve problems.
Unit 2: Delivery of Engineering Processes Safely as a Team – Students will explore how processes are undertaken as a team to create engineering products. They will manufacture components of a product safely as a group.
Unit 3: Engineering Product Design and Manufacture (examination) – Students will explore engineering product design and manufacturing processes. They will respond to a given brief and complete a task based exam over a set number of hours.
Unit 4: Applied Commercial and Quality Principles in Engineering – Students will explore commercial engineering for example key business activities, cost control, quality system and value management used by engineering organisations.
Unit 5: A Specialist Engineering Project – Students will apply project management principles and undertake a project to produce a product, system or process relevant to an area of study.
* There are a variety of additional units including: Mechanical Behaviour of Metallic Materials, Computer Programming, Computer Aided Design in Engineering, Modern Manufacturing Systems and Fabrication Manufacturing Processes if you choose to study the Extended Certificate or the Diploma in Engineering. The course instils a broad understanding of a wide variety of engineering sub sections which can be further developed at university, through employment and/or via an apprenticeship.
This is the link to the exam board website: https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html
Ways to help my child succeed
Access to ICT and a computer will allow students to work on the many different software packages in their own time to enhance work. Students are able to use the workshops to complete any practical work. Encourage pupils to actively research engineering process, materials and systems to support their understanding and knowledge. Support pupils in good time management as both the courses (Extended Certificate and Diploma) will have submissions of assignment work throughout the academic year.
Useful websites
https://www.autodesk.com/education/
https://www.engineeringuk.com/our-programmes/tomorrows-engineers/