Careers Brief - Electronics & Computer Technology HNC/FdSc
Overview
The HNC and Foundation degree in Electronics & Computer Technology, offer you the opportunity for progression onto an Honours degree programme and direct job entry. An Honours degree is likely to give you a long-term career advantage.
Your knowledge of hardware and software applications in electronics opens up a wide range of opportunities within engineering and computer-related work. You could be working in engineering design and development, as a test engineer, project management, providing technical support and customer service, sales and marketing, consultancy, technical writing, teaching, or as a patent agent.
This is a constantly developing market. For example, you could be working on projects as diverse as security systems, 3G mobile phones, new power generating plant, railway services or banking systems.
In addition to your technical training, you should also promote the key employability skills and competencies you have developed on your course.
Key employability skills include: being adaptable and a quick learner; communicating; team working and working on your own initiative; analysing information and problem solving creatively; IT; numeracy; multi-tasking and the ability to work to deadlines.
Useful active verbs for an engineering CV: designed, developed, devised, analysed, optimised, solved, supervised, liaised, researched, investigated, presented, drafted, organised, demonstrated.
For an industry sector overview, go to National Guidance Research Forum for 'LMI Future trends' and 'Sectors covered'.
Go to the website links below to find out more.
Further Study
Success in your HNC could lead on to achieving a Foundation degree after studying further units. Alternatively, you might be able to transfer onto a related Honours degree course. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses.
With your Foundation degree you would be able to apply for a full or part-time Top-up degree. Top-up degrees are designed as direct progression from the Foundation degree to achieve an Honours (or Ordinary) degree, though entry may be selective.
Alternatively, you could transfer onto an Honours degree course. Entry point would depend on your grades, experience and overlap between courses but could be the final year.
Go to www.solent.ac.uk/courses/ for information on degree courses at Southampton Solent University.
To search degree courses, go to www.ucas.com/ (UCAS - Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for the UK). Use the university/college links for course details.
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 links for information on course costs and finance and to the section on Financial support for additional help.
Alternatively, you could consider 'topping up' your Foundation degree to Honours through distance learning with the Open University. You could be awarded up to 240 credits and then only need 120 credits of OU study at level 3 to achieve an Honours degree. Go to www.open.ac.uk/ to search undergraduate courses and credit transfer.
With a good Honours degree (First or 2.1), you may 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 postgraduate study and finance, go to the national online directory at www.prospects.ac.uk/study.htm .
Go to the main section Further Study of this Guide for more information and help.
Useful Links
http://mycareerhub.bournemouth.ac.uk/
Bournemouth University Graduate Employment Service - job news, campus events, graduate jobs, ask a question, book an appointment
The Institution of Engineering and Technology
BCS The Chartered Institute for IT
Drop down sub-heading 'Qualifications, Training, Careers' and go to sections 'Careers' + 'Students'
The Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering & Manufacturing Technologies - go to 'Electronics' for industry sector overview + side-headings
www.prospects.ac.uk/starting_out.htm
Graduate Prospects - national careers site for HE students studying in the UK:
Drop down 'Careers advice' for 'Options with your subject'
Drop down 'Jobs and work experience' for 'What jobs would suit me?' using Prospects Planner
http://nextstep.direct.gov.uk/
Next Step careers site - go to sub-heading 'Planning your career' for 'Job Profiles'
http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors
GTI Media publication for graduate jobs and careers advice
Inside Careers publication for graduate careers and jobs
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/
ETB - engineering and technology careers
http://jobseekers.direct.gov.uk/
Jobcentre Plus - Jobs and Skills search
The Directory of Design Consultants
The Institution of Engineering Designers
Go to the Employability section of this Careers Guide for additional help and advice with making applications.
