Those with a passion for D&T could enjoy any one of a wide number of careers. How about the following:

 

In manufacturing: working in industry developing, producing, and testing goods made out of plastics, metal, ceramics, glass, clay, wood, oil, or chemicals.

 

In engineering: as an electrician or as a technician/engineer in the mechanical, civil, electronic, or chemical engineering industries.

 

In textiles: designing and manufacturing clothing, upholstery, and fabrics needed for particular uses, such as sails, parachutes, or canopies. You could work with natural or man-made fabrics.

 

In the food industry: cooking, working for food producers, researching and developing new products, or in advisory work as a nutritionist or home economist.

 

In traditional craftwork: ironwork, saddlery, glassblowing, woodwork, pottery, or hat or shoe making.

 

In the Armed forces: Lots of opportunities occur in, such as avionics work, technicians, maintenance, and repair

 

In education: if you've enjoyed studying the subject, why not try teaching it to the next generation or work as a technician helping the teacher to deliver the lesson?

 

Lots of sixth forms offer A-Level Design and Technology which can be combined with other subjects. Also available are the Level 3 Diplomas in Engineering, Textiles, or Manufacturing.

 

Universities offer many ‘design’ and ‘technology’ degrees. Some are very specialist, for example, Leeds University offer courses to prepare you for working in the petro-chemical industry or aviation design. Many others are much more general and cover a wide range of skills needed for civil, mechanical, building, electrical, and product design work.

 

OCR CAMBRIDGE NATIONAL IN ENGINEERING DESIGN

Engineering design is a process used to identify market opportunities and solve problems that contribute to the development of new products and systems. This popular course is an opportunity for students to study the processes involved in designing new engineered products and develop a design specification.

Through research and practical activities, students understand how market requirements and opportunities inform client briefs and use practical skills such as drawing, computer modelling and model making to communicate design ideas. The qualification also encourages students to consult with a client and, with its practical focus, engages them in producing, testing and evaluating a prototype in the form of a model.
 

Mr C Gibbons
Joint Curriculum Leader

Engineering Design

 

Exam Board:

OCR

Qualification:

Level 1 / 2

Final award

Level 1 – Distinction (D1), Merit (M1), Pass (P1) and Unclassified

Level 2 – Distinction* (*2), Distinction (D2), Merit (M2) and Pass (P2)

 

Assessment:

Level 1 / Level 2 Cambridge National Certificate in Engineering Design consists of four mandatory units:

 

R105: Design briefs, design specifications and user requirements

R106: Product analysis and research

R107: Developing and presenting engineering designs

R108: 3D design realisation

 

R105 is a written exam paper that’s OCR-set and marked. The other units are centre-assessed tasks that are OCR-moderated.

 

 

 

Outline of course content:

 

Unit R105

Students will:

•      Understand the design cycle and the relationship between design briefs and design specifications

•      Consider results from activities such as market research, existing product and life cycle analysis, and the study of new and improved materials and processes

•      Understand how factors such as user needs, manufacturing processes and material choice influence a design solution.

 

Unit R106

Students will:

•      Develop dexterous skills and gain practical experience of product assembly and disassembly to appreciate manufacturing processes, design features and materials used

•      Develop creativity and critical analysis through an understanding of the principles behind good design

•      Analyse existing solutions to consider what makes a good product sell.

 

Unit R107

Students will:

•      Generate design ideas using a mixture of detailed hand rendering and computer-based presentation techniques, including computer-aided design in two and three dimensions

•      Be able to use Computer-aided Design (CAD) software and techniques to produce and communicate design proposals

•      Gain skills in annotation and labelling techniques that demonstrate thought processes such as showing key features, functions, dimensions, materials, and construction/manufacture methods.

 

Unit R108

Students will:

•      Produce a prototype product in the form of a model

•      Test design ideas in a practical context, to inform further development using more complex production processes

•      Through reflection exercises, evaluate the prototype, assess improvements in design and then make necessary improvements to the final product.

 

 

 

Outline of course structure:

 

Unit R105: Design briefs, design specifications and user requirements          

Developing new products plays an essential part in engineering. Students will study the importance of responding to a design brief and assessing the requirements of design specifications when developing a new product.

 

Unit R106: Product analysis and research

Being able to perform effective product analysis and evaluation is a vital skill in engineering. Students will research existing solutions and assess the development of engineered products.

 

Unit R107: Developing and presenting engineering designs

Communication is an important skill for today’s engineers. Students will learn how to develop concepts and communicate design ideas through hand rendering and computer-based techniques.

 

Unit R108: 3D design realisation

With its focus on practical issues, this unit requires students to apply practical skills to produce a prototype product or model using craft-based modelling materials, plus computer-controlled or rapid prototyping processes.

Careers using Engineering Design

Those with a passion for Engineering Design could enjoy any one of a wide number of careers. How about the following:

 

In manufacturing: working in industry developing, producing, and testing goods made out of plastics or metals

In engineering: as an electrician or as a technician/engineer in the civil, mechanical, electronic or mechatronic systems engineering

In the Armed forces: Lots of opportunities such as avionics work, technicians, maintenance and repair

In education: if you've enjoyed studying the subject, why not try teaching it to the next generation or work as a technician helping the teacher to deliver the lesson?

 

Progression:

Students will develop skills, knowledge and understanding through the qualification which are relevant to both work and further study. It will support progression into employment through work-placed or college based apprenticeships in areas such as Engineering and Manufacturing. It will also support students progressing to A Levels such as Design & Technology or to Cambridge Technicals in Engineering or other Further Education courses. Progression with this qualification will be greatly enhanced when complimented by GCSE Mathematics, Physics or other Science options.