Careers Brief - Engineering (Manufacturing Management) HNC/FdSc
Overview
The 2 years part-time HNC in Engineering (Manufacturing Management) offers you a nationally recognised qualification to enhance your career development and the opportunity to continue your studies in higher education onto a Foundation degree.
Success on the 3rd year part-time Foundation degree, provides both a higher level qualification and either a stepping stone onto a Top-up Honours degree course or the possibility of direct entry into the final year of an Honours degree.
Manufacturing management combines an interest in manufacturing technologies and processes, with the management of industrial facilities and people. Experience in production management or control, the supply chain or operational management, combined with the knowledge gained from your training on HE programmes, will make you well qualified in manufacturing practice and give you an understanding of business issues in industrial companies. This will make you well positioned for implementing change and adapting lean manufacture to your plant.
Your qualification demonstrates your competence to your employer and outside in the marketplace. Employers are looking for multi-skilled practitioners. In addition to technical skills and knowledge, you should also positively promote key general transferable skills you have developed.
Key skills include: being adaptable and a quick learner; strong numerical and analytical skills; organisational skills; problem-solving; planning and time-management; the ability to communicate effectively and work successfully with a wide range of people.
Future career paths could be in technical management, training and consulting services, technical development, project planning, business management, patent law, FE teaching and research.
Opportunities are available in a wide variety of industries and companies within the UK and overseas.
Use the website links below to find out more.
Further Study
You could transfer into a related Honours degree course. Entry point would depend on your qualification, grades, industrial experience and overlap between courses.
Alternatively, there is the possibility of applying for a full-time Top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as a direct progression from Foundation degree to achieve an Ordinary or Honours degree.
To search for degree courses go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.
You will need to use UCAS to apply for courses. Contact the Course Tutor of your chosen course to find out your position, before you make your formal application.
Find out how much this will cost you. Where is your funding coming from? Go to the university/college site for course costs and finance and to www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ for additional help with student support.
With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you could progress onto an appropriate higher level Masters and/or PhD doctorate. This could be to develop your area of study to a more in-depth practical and/or academic level or to gain other specialist training.
For information on all postgraduate courses and research, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/links/pgstudy/ .
Resources
Graduate Prospects - online national careers service for HE students studying in the UK:
- Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your foundation degree... what next?'
- Drop down 'Sectors' and click on 'Engineering & manufacturing'
- Drop down 'Jobs & work' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' for Prospects Planner
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on side-heading 'Careers' and choose a category or type in job title.
http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/
Careers Advice Service
www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u
Jobs4U Careers Database - click on sub-heading 'Job Families & Articles' or Quick Search by typing in job title
Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies
Engineering & technology careers & news
ETB - What is engineering? For Job Profiles go to 'Real life engineering'
Engineering Council UK - professional registration
The Institution of Engineering and Technology - go to sub-headings 'Careers & training' + 'Education'
GTI publication for graduate jobs and careers intelligence - go to sub-headings 'Career sectors' + 'Careers advice'
Hobsons/GTI graduate careers publication - Careers advice section
Inside Careers publication - specialists in Graduate Careers
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
www.manufacturinginstitute.co.uk/
The Manufacturing Institute
Professional Engineering magazine for engineering jobs
Go to the Job Applications section of this Careers Guide for additional help and advice with making applications.
