College advice ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 61728
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Deleted member 61728

Deleted member 61728

I'm looking to go back to college but am tied between these two course choices and cant decide.Looking for some advice from anyone who's had dealings with these course subjects and their experiences that might be positive or negative ?

National Diploma in Vehicle Technology full time
BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Engineering (electrical/electronic) part time

Which one opens up better chances for future employment/career ?
 
I don't think that at that level it makes a lot of difference as to which will have the bigger impact on your future career TBH.

But personally I'd go part time with a relevant job on day release or evening classes in whichever discipline you prefer. You can always further both with highers later. A lot of HE colleges or unis will look upon a level 3 with associated work based experience probably more highly than a FT diploma (experience dependant).

However, if you're not employed in the associated industry, go full time.
 
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Out of interest are they courses that actually are what they say or are they just glorified names for Mechanics and Electricians?

That would make a big difference career wise, especially if you want to be a mechanic or electrician. If they are proper courses I can't really see much difference, assuming you would be heading to uni or doing an apprenticeship after.
 
I assume they are just names!

Would you say there is a better chance of successfully getting an apprenticeship as an mechanic/electrician with these sorts of qualifications or are they just all gloss no substance ?
 
A lot of the time these qualifications go hand in hand with apprenticeships, with the National Diploma usually being full time release for one year, and the level 3 being part time day release (one day/week). Some colleges offer student career support, and actively help you to gain employment on an apprenticeship, so that's worth investigating with your local college.

The National Diploma will put you in a better position to do Higher Nationals academically at least, but vehicle tech. isn't a subject I'd take myself unless I was really into working with vehicles or going down that route.

A more general ND is probably better in that you cover more varied stuff. Electrical/electronic engineering would likely be more useful in general, as would mechanical/manufacturing engineering. I imagine vehicle technology would be a mishmash of both with a few specialised units thrown into the mix.
 
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