hi im currently studying at college to gain a btec national diploma
in electrical/electronic engineering.
just wondering if anyone here has gone this route into getting a job in this field.
going to college and looking for a job once finished instead of apprenticeships e.t.c
also what sort of jobs could i be looking at applying for once finished..

cheers..

 

Hi shane_nd,

I can confess to doing the Apprenticeship/BTEC route before university and beyond. From my experience, those that go this route tend to find it easier to get engineering positions than those that have gone through the more traditional A-levels to degree route. This is mostly due to the fact that you have good academic and vocational credentials.

For BTEC ND/NC qualifications you would probably be looking at electrical installation/configuration/commissioning work (the list of potential jobs is so vast that it would be impossible to list specifics), however under the existing rules I am not sure you could attain Engineering Technician (EngTech) status through the IET. Perhaps you could look at the possibility of doing a HND/HNC qualification as a natural progression from your ND. You can certainly look at attaining EngTech status which would open up your potential for the higher technician level careers (maybe of use in larger businesses) and the HND can also serve as the first year of a BEng/MEng degree (i.e. you would start in the second year although this is university dependant).

A lot of what you can achieve in engineering is only limited by your drive and imagination.

Dave

 

cheers for that.
im going to do my hnc once ive finished doing the btec/nd
ideally i would be looking at getting a job at the end of my nd
and do the hnc whilst working if i can find an employer willing to do this

 

Yes you should ideally be looking at working during your HNC (with a comapny who is in the line of business related to your HNC) otherwise you are effectively in the same boat as those who have gone the A-level route, except that you have spent 4-years getting there as opposed to 2-years. You should only be in college for 1 or 2 days of the week, granted the days are usually 7-8 hours straight.

Many employers would be willing to take on younger technicians on a day-release basis (they may even pay for your fees though that is highly dependant on the company). I would advise that you start looking at companies now and put your name and CV out there.

Dave