Engineering
Where would the world be without the exceptional minds of Da Vinci, Tesla, Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and many more? We would have no trains, cars, planes, radios, x-ray machines, phones or lights. Have you heard of a man called Steve, who found Apple? Not Steve Jobs, the less famous one, Steve Wozniak.
Students will study communications for engineering technicians, engineering projects, mathematics for engineering technicians, mechanical principles and applications, electrical and electronical principles, computer aided drafting, thermodynamics and electronic fault-finding. You will also experience guest speakers from the industry, trade shows, work on live projects, enjoy trips and visits with your classmates to London, as well as being linked to valuable employers as we assist you in progressing towards an Apprenticeship.
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Engineering at West Lancashire College
What can I do with a career in Engineering?
Daily tasks:
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor operational efficiency and performance of materials and systems.
- Organises and plans projects, arranges work schedules, carries out inspection work and plans maintenance control.
- Designs structures such as roads, dams, bridges, railways, hydraulic systems, sewerage systems, industrial and other buildings and plans the layout of tunnels, wells and construction shafts.
- Designs foundations and earthworks.
- Determines and specifies construction methods, materials, quality and safety standards and ensures that equipment operation and maintenance comply with design specifications.
- Undertakes research and advises on soil mechanics, concrete technology, hydraulics, water and waste water treatment processes and other civil engineering matters.
Daily tasks:
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor operational efficiency and performance of materials and systems.
- Ensures that equipment, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and safety standards.
- Designs mechanical equipment, such as steam, internal combustion and other non-electrical motors for railway locomotives, road vehicles, aeroplanes and other machinery.
- Determines materials, equipment, piping, capacities, layout of plant or system and specification for manufacture.
- Undertakes research and advises on energy use, materials handling, thermodynamic processes, fluid mechanics, vehicles and environmental controls.
Daily tasks:
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor the performance and safety of electrical assemblies and systems.
- Ensures that manufacture, operation and maintenance comply with design specifications and contractual arrangements.
- Determines and specifies manufacturing methods of electrical systems.
- Supervises, controls and monitors the operation of electrical generation, transmission and distribution systems.
Daily tasks:
- Tests, diagnoses faults and undertakes repair of electronic equipment.
- Organises and establishes control systems to monitor performance and evaluate designs.
- Determines and specifies appropriate production and/or installation methods and quality and safety standards.
- Undertakes research and advises on all aspects of telecommunications equipment, radar, telemetry and remote control systems, data processing equipment, microwaves and other electronic equipment.
Daily tasks:
- Prepares specifications for materials and other components.
- Produces final design information for use in preparation of layouts, parts lists, etc..
- Arranges construction and testing of model or prototype and modifies design if necessary.
- Prepares working designs for steam, aero, turbine, marine and electrical engines, mechanical instruments, aircraft and missile structures, vehicle and ship structures, plant and machinery equipment, domestic electrical appliances, building systems and services, and electronic computing and telecommunications equipment.
- Assesses product requirements, including costs, manufacturing feasibility and market requirements.
Daily tasks:
- Designs, controls and constructs process plants to manufacture products.
- Undertakes research and develops processes to achieve physical and/or chemical change for oil, pharmaceutical, synthetic, plastic, food and other products.
- Liaises with materials buying, storing and controlling departments to ensure a steady flow of supplies.
- Advises management on and ensures effective implementation of new production methods, techniques and equipment.
- Investigates and eliminates potential hazards and bottlenecks in production.
- Devises and implements production control methods to monitor operational efficiency.
- Recommends optimum equipment and layout and prepares drawings and specifications.
- Studies existing and alternative production methods, regarding work flow, plant layout, types of machinery and cost.
Daily tasks:
- Provides technical consultancy services.
- Examines and advises on patent applications.
- Prepare sketches, drawings and specifications showing materials to be used, construction and finishing methods and other details.
- Devises and implements control systems to monitor operational efficiency and performance of system and materials.
- Designs new systems and equipment with regard to cost, market requirements and feasibility of manufacture.
- Establishes principles and techniques to improve the quality, durability and performance of materials such as textiles, glass, rubber, plastics, ceramics, metals and alloys.
- Researches into problem areas to advance basic knowledge, evaluate new theories and techniques and to solve specific problems.
Daily tasks:
- Oversees effective implementation of adopted processes, schedules and procedures.
- Prepares plan of sequence of operations and completion dates for each phase of production or processing.
- Analyses plans, drawings, specifications and safety, quality, accuracy, reliability and contractual requirements.
- Prepares work flow charts for individual departments and compiles detailed instructions on processes, work methods and quality and safety standards for workers.
- Ensures accuracy of machines, jigs, fixtures, gauges and other manufacturing and testing equipment.
- Devises inspection, testing and evaluation methods for bought-in materials, components, semi-finished and finished products.
Daily tasks:
- Visits and advises clients on the use and servicing of electrical and electronic systems and equipment.
- Diagnoses and detects faults and implements procedures to maintain efficient operation of systems and equipment.
- Plans installation methods, checks completed installation for safety and controls or undertakes the initial running of the new electrical or electronic equipment or system.
- Sets up equipment, undertakes tests, takes readings, performs calculations and records and interprets data.
- Plans and prepares work and test schedules based on specifications and drawings.
Daily tasks:
- Inspects construction materials and supervises work of contractors to ensure compliance with specifications and arranges remedial work as necessary.
- Sets out construction site, supervises excavations and marks out position of building work to be undertaken.
- Performs calculations and collects, records and interprets data.
- Sets up apparatus and equipment and undertakes field and laboratory tests of soil and work materials.
Meet our students and tutors
Anthony Robinson
Curriculum Manager for EngineeringI have vast automotive industry experience and I've had a number of job roles within the sector, including diagnostic technician and workshop controller with manufacturers, such as Honda, Toyota and Lexus. I joined West Lancashire College in 2007 and have also been part of a team of authors who revised the popular Hillier’s Fundamentals of Automotive Electronics textbook. I am a fully qualified Level 4 Hybrid and EV master technician.
Fay
Engineering StudentWithin my course, we cover many core units and in particular, Mathematics for Engineering Technicians is a personal favourite of mine. My career ambition is to become an architect, in which the Engineering course is preparing me for my next steps into Civil Engineering degrees and applying for universities.
Gareth Lloyd
Engineering LecturerI have worked at West Lancashire College since 2021. I have delivered engineering subjects such as CAD, CNC and Design to BTEC L3 Extended Diploma Full time students and also L3 Apprentices. I also delivered CAD/CAM and Engineering Project to HNC/D students. Prior to teaching, I was a time served skills toolmaker, which involved machining techniques including Milling, Turning and Cylindrical/Surface grinding. I also worked extensively on the manufacture, maintenance and modification of Power Press tools.
Grace
Engineering StudentI chose to study Engineering, as my family are very passionate about the subject and I really enjoyed learning about the topic in high school, so I wanted to continue studying whilst at West Lancs. My favourite part is the workshop, where we create a variety of projects including a Plunbob. My next steps are an Apprenticeship with an Engineering company in Wigan and once I have completed that, I would like to aim towards being a project leader or a manager.
Michael
Electrical StudentAs an Electrical student, I’ve progressed from Level 2 to Level 3, with my knowledge and understanding of the course consistently growing. I pride myself on having a great attention to detail, a deep understanding of electrical science principles and I am aiming to gain an electrical mechanical apprenticeship at Jaguar Land Rover.
Mike Ashcroft
Engineering LecturerI am a time served engineer with over 22 years industry experience, working, across Aerospace, Automotive, Oil and Gas and Glass manufacturing sectors. Passionate about getting students to the best possible destinations, I actively interact with local industry to create the best opportunities for our learners. I use my own broad range of experience and industry knowledge to bring learning into a real-life context, sparking interest in students and take pride in developing the next generation of Engineers
Ryan
Engineering Level 3I chose this course to discover the type of Engineering job that I would like to embark on in the future. The tutors are amazing! I’ve really enjoyed the CAD and materials elements of the course.
Richard
Engineering Level 3I chose the Engineering Level 3 course because I have an interest in the industry. The other students on my course are great and the Sellafield job opportunities are amazing.
Mikey
Engineering Level 3After enjoying my Engineering course in high school, I decided to continue by studying the Level 3 course at West Lancashire College. I’m really looking forward to visiting Austria in Summer 2024 with my classmates.
Ciaran
Engineering Level 3I have an interest in Aerospace Engineering and it is a good area of work for my career. I have enjoyed learning about materials and metal properties, as well as the Maths element.
Contact our team
Upcoming events
Open Event
West Lancashire College
Thursday 25th April 2024
4:30pm - 7:00pm
Apprenticeship Information Event
West Lancashire College
Wednesday 1st May 2024
4:30pm - 6:00pm
Trade Fair
West Lancashire College
Tuesday 14th May 2024
4:30pm - 6:00pm
