Careers Brief - Engineering (Production Management) HNC/D

Overview

The part-time HNC/D in Engineering (Production Management) will have given you a nationally recognised qualification to enhance your career development and the opportunity to continue your studies to honours degree level.

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; organising; problem solving; planning and time-management; the ability to communicate effectively and work successfully with a wide range of people.

As a Production Engineer, you will be responsible for engineering issues relating to planning, managing and maintaining production methods and processes. Opportunities are available in a wide variety of industries and companies, large or small, within the UK and overseas.

It should be possible for you to transfer between jobs, move into production management or other technical roles, such as systems engineer. You could also move into commercial posts, such as sales and marketing, general management or onto self-employed contract work.

Further Study

Shortened full-time Top-up degree courses are designed for direct progression from HND (or Foundation degree) to Ordinary or honours degree.

You can also transfer into a degree course with similar content. Entry would be on an individual basis dependant on your qualification, grades, industrial experience and overlap between courses.

Use www.ucas.com/search (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK) to find suitable courses. 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? Use the website www.direct.gov.uk/uni/ and go to the main section on Financial Assistance in Further Study (on this site) for more help with student support.

For information on Postgraduate courses and research – click on ‘Postgrad Study' on the Prospects web link in the Resources section below.

Resources

www.prospects.ac.uk/

Graduate Prospects is the careers website for higher education students in the UK:

Drop down 'Careers advice' and click on 'Use your qualification' for 'Your HND... what next?'
Drop down 'Communities' and click on 'Engineering, science and technology'
Drop down 'Jobs & work' and click on 'What jobs would suit me?' for Prospects Planner

jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/

Careers database and links to jobs nationally. Search by either clicking on 'careers' and choose a category or type in job title.

www.learndirect-advice.co.uk/helpwithyourcareer/jobprofiles/

Learn Direct Careers Advice

www.connexions-direct.com/jobs4u

Jobs4U Careers Database - click on 'Job Families' or Quick Search by typing in job title

www.semta.org.uk/

Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies

www.scenta.co.uk/

Engineering & technology careers & news - The Engineering and Technology Board. Go to 'Engineering' - 'Jobs' - 'Jobfresh - advice for jobseekers'.

www.enginuity.org.uk/

What is engineering?