T LEVEL: engineering


Intro Part 1: What is technology and engineering?

Course Overview

Somerset Studio School, with its cutting edge facilities and specialist staff, sports some of the highest results in the country for Engineering.

We are proud to offer an internationally recognised true Engineering course. 

Students get the rare opportunity to use full Industry standard equipment and resources afforded to our new dedicated Engineering Department.

The objective of the course is to connect the subjects of Physics and Maths with the cutting edge design and manufacture processes used in the world around us. 

Students complete the following units:


Employer Set Project

The Employer-set project is an assessment made up of several tasks that will take place within controlled conditions, assessing the knowledge and skills learned as part of the core element of the T Level. 

Each project will be developed together with employers in the industry to reflect realistic types of developments, activities and challenges.  The project is made up of a number of tasks which all relate to the same Employer-set project brief;

• Research 

• Design

• Plan

• Present


The project draws on the content from the core knowledge that sits across all specialisms in Design and Development (specific knowledge and skills for each specialism will be assessed in the practical assignments). 

The project is linked to the core skills: 

• Planning and preparation 

• Communication 

• Develop and manufacture 

• Evaluation 

welcome

Target Audience

This qualification gives post-16 learners a practical introduction to real Engineering. 

You will study ten units over two years, eight units are internally assessed (coursework) and two are external exams.

Entry requirement is a minimum of a grade 5 in Physics and Maths at GCSE, plus 4 other GCSE grades of 4+.

T level Engineering does not require any previous experience in the subject. Successful students thrive in Maths and Physics, but may wish those subjects were more practical. They may also have a desire to be more creative - Engineering T Level delivers!


sample lesson

Student testimonial / department walk through

VID_20201111_121003.mp4

Support sessions

To further support students:

Higher Education Progression Routes

product design

Level 3 (A level or A level equivalent) Engineering is extremely desirable and rare for a career in Product Design. Where other students can Design Products, a Engineer is required to make them fully work.

The most common route for students to progress in Product Design is to take a BA or BSc in Product Design at University.  

engineering

There are 2 main routes for this career path:

Apprenticeship - Often misunderstood as a lesser career path, in engineering it may be considered more respected than an individual degree and can take you above Masters Level. There are two versions: (Sponsored or unsponsored) Depending on the company, students can find part time paid employment with the company, and depending on the course can have their University Degree paid for in return for working for the company after completing the Degree or other qualification. Many companies offer this program at and above degree level but require a Merit or distinction at post 16 level to apply.


Direct to University - There are thousands of types of engineer, so depending on the field of engineering you wish to go into, you can choose an Engineering course at most Universities.

architecture

Many Engineers go on to degrees in Architecture, Building/Structural Design


Apprenticeships do exist, but the most common route for students to progress in Architecture is to take a BA or BSc in Engineering at University. 


AccelErated Apprenticeship

It is worth noting, there are some unusual extra routes into Engineering that are not found in other fields.

 Because of the way Engineering works, once complete on this course, rather than specifically working towards a Degree, you are already a qualified engineer at Technician level and hence can go out into work as a Semi Professional Engineer without further qualifications. Alternatively, you can apply for an accelerated engineering Apprenticeship. accelerated engineering Apprenticeships are usually offered by larger engineering firms like (Airbus in Bristol) and often require students to have gained a Merit (B grade) to apply, but offer an average of around £33k starting salary with progression typically up to and above £51k. (See a typical example here) https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/careers/roles-and-specialisations/services/surface-fleet/accelerated-apprentice-scheme-marine-engineering

Future Careers

Engineering has the largest span of careers of any subject, hence pay varies wildly depending on how large the demand is in the specific field you choose. Fields such as Petroleum Engineer and Data Engineer currently pay a median of over £100k per annum.

Many Engineering careers you will have heard of, many you likely will not. Some are 'hands on', some are 'on site', some are entirely office based. Many engineers travel the world as part of their work, many don't.

Here are a few of the more common types. (The full list is somewhat endless!)