Engineering & Automotive
Engineering
Your new mobile phone and tablet computer? Electronic engineers have had a hand in making it. What about the make-up or deodorant you’re wearing? Chemical engineers will have tested out the product in a laboratory. The car you travel in? Automotive engineers have worked in a team to make it happen.
To ‘engineer’ literally means to ‘make things happen’. You can do just that at Coleg Gwent.
Workers in engineering include operators who operate machinery and carry out assembly work, craftspeople who are employed in maintenance, fabrication, welding & machining and engineering technicians who are involved in solving practical problems. It also includes electricians and electrical maintenance technicians working in both the domestic and industrial sector of electronics. You will find details of courses for domestic electrical installation on the Construction pages.
Engineering is a career with a bright future which offers excellent training opportunities and prospects in a wide range of fields. Career development at every level provides opportunities for progression to supervisory positions first as an engineering technician and then to senior posts as incorporated or chartered engineers.
Career paths across Engineering include:
- Automotive
- Design Engineer
- Engineering Crafts
- Engineering Technician
- Fabricator
- Manager
- Mechanical
- Electrical Engineer
- Production Engineer
- Vehicle Painter
- Vehicle Body Repairer
- Welder
- Weld Inspector
- Ship Builder
- Bridge Builder
- Motor Sport Engineer
- Race Engineer
- Fabrication & Welding
This is one of the few remaining crafts used in manufacture and construction where there is the continuing challenge of developing new skills to meet different situations. Welding is a wide field – there is always an opportunity to learn more about the many processes and techniques. There are many career opportunities both in the UK and abroad as skills and qualifications obtained in this country are valid worldwide.
Mechanical
Mechanical engineering involves many different routes including analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems. You will develop a solid understanding of key concepts. Mechanical engineers use these principles and others in the design and analysis of things like machinery, aircraft, automobiles, medical devices and much more.
Motor Vehicle
Employment is usually with garages, transport companies, road haulage companies or large organisations with fleets of vehicles. At technician level you will perform skilled diagnostic work, including work on electronic and computer controlled systems. The work is challenging and logical, involving a lot of problem solving. In larger companies, it is usually possible to gain promotion to supervisory and management jobs.
Motor Vehicle Body Repair & Refinishing
Employment is usually within garages, body shops and the motor sport industry that specialise in the repair of vehicles after accident damage. The skills involved within body repair and refinishing vary from sectioning panels to valeting, MIG welding and rectifying paint defects. We offer both Pre-Apprentice programmes (full time) and Apprenticeship Programmes. The Apprenticeship programme includes both day release (theory) and practical block release sessions.
Electrical & Electronic
Full time courses provide the first step towards qualified electrician status focussing on the industrial environment and include studying towards City & Guilds technical qualifications. The underpinning knowledge gained from studying a course will enable progression into associated electrical/electronic services. As an electrician you would need to be fit, have good colour vision, have a head for heights and be prepared to travel. It is a job for people with a discerning mind, where the safety of yourself and others demands attention to detail.
Pathways to Apprenticeships Programme
The Pathways to Apprenticeships Programme is a flexible route providing the underpinning knowledge and skills required in industry. Pathways learners spend up to one year on a full time intensive training programme which includes practical work experience and a Level 2 vocational qualification as well as the knowledge and skills to help you progress to a full time Apprenticeship.
Coleg Gwent offers a range of courses including Pre-Apprenticeship programmes, progressing to further training up to university level courses and beyond. Whether you want to study full time, day release or part time, we have a course for you.
Browse the courses below or contact our Admissions team for further information.
Engineering & Automotive