The qualification aims to widen access to higher education and enhance the career prospects of those that undertake it. The programme is designed to be studied part-time (one day per week) for two academic years to support students who may have other commitments such as work and/or family responsibilities. The academic year is 32 weeks, starting in September, and delivery is planned over 2 semesters of 16 weeks.
During your first year, you will study the following topics:
- Engineering Design
- Engineering Maths
- Managing a Professional Engineering Project
- Electrical and Electronic Principles
During your second year, you will learn about:
- Production Engineering for Manufacture
- Automation, Robotics and PLC’s
- Quality Process Improvement
- Electronical Machines
The HNC is an internationally recognised qualification for engineering technicians and will enhance your career prospects. For those wanting to upgrade to an HND, this should be discussed with their personal tutor at the end of a successful year one.
What you'll learn
During your first year, you will study the following topics:
- Engineering Design
- Engineering Maths
- Managing a Professional Engineering Project
- Electrical and Electronic Principles
During your second year, you will learn about:
- Production Engineering for Manufacture
- Automation, Robotics and PLC’s
- Quality and Process Improvement
- Electronical Machines
How you'll learn and be assessed
You will have a range of support made available to you, including academic and pastoral support, learning support and access to additional support funds (if eligible). Please see our Support Pages for further information.
You will be provided with a suitably equipped place to work when attending college, which will include access to specialist staff, IT facilities and other learning resources which will be appropriate for the nature of work you will be required to undertake.
Additionally, the college offers a wide range of other resources and facilities including additional learning support, which will be available to you, further details of which can found in the Higher Education Student Handbook.
Additional study support
Whether you have a recognised disability, specific learning difficulty, or not, you will be eligible to access additional learning support in all the following areas:
- assistive software training
- IT upskilling
- essay planning and structure
- proofreading and editing written work
- bibliographies and referencing
- time management and personal organisation
- revision and exam tips
- presentation techniques
Progression
Upon successful completion of the HNC, students will be able to progress to an HND (Higher National Diploma) at Activate Learning or at another institution (dependent upon meeting their entry requirements).
Entry requirements
A typical offer would be a BTEC Level 3 Diploma at Merit or Distinction with GCSE Maths and English C grade or above/ Functional Skills at Level 2. A-levels in Maths, Science, or IT.
We will consider alternative qualifications or equivalent work experience. Please contact us to discuss your circumstances.
Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate that their level of English is acceptable, by achieving a score in a recognised test such as British Council IELTS -normally minimum level 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in the reading and writing components
Activate Learning welcomes applications from mature students without formal qualifications, who wish to place their experience and knowledge within a formal educational framework. We are happy to support them through the application process via interview.
Normally, the requirement for mature students would be:
- a minimum of the equivalent of two years of relevant work experience and a – current role in an appropriate workplace setting
- evidence of ability to study at academic Level 4
- evidence of support/recommendation from their employer.
Additional information
Fees for September 2025 entry are £3,265 per year for UK students.
Please note: Tuition fees are published for the first year of entry only and may increase in subsequent years for new students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Office for Students. There are a variety of funding options available to help finance your studies. If you are a UK (Home) student, you don’t have to pay your tuition fees up front. The government provides loans to cover your full tuition fee. You may also be eligible for a maintenance loan to help cover living costs. Alternatively, your fees may be paid by your employer, or we could arrange a payment schedule if you are paying your own fees.
Additional costs: Students are advised that they will need access to a laptop or PC. We recommend that you budget £100 a year additional costs such as for stationary to undertake your studies. You can borrow textbooks and access journals from the recommended reading lists are available from the Learning Resource Centre. If you choose to purchase textbooks, they may cost up to £60 each
How to apply
Applicants should apply online through the Activate Learning website.
If you are interested in this course and would like an informal, no-obligation chat about the details of the course, how to sign up, or anything else, please get in touch and we’d be happy to help!
South Central Institute of Technology
Institutes of Technology have been designed to create higher level technical qualifications, in partnership with employers to increase productivity and raise the standards of university-level technical education.
Activate Learning in collaboration with Milton Keynes College, is excited to introduce the new South-Central Institute of Technology, working with leading brands such as Microsoft, KPMG, McAfee, Cranfield University, and Evidence Talks.
Activate Learning will be delivering the HNC in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from our technology suite which will have a blend of formal and informal teaching areas and agile project spaces.
