Delivering the 2016/2017 BTEC Nationals & Higher Nationals in Engineering

Back in 2015, Pearson, the developers of world class qualification programmes for subject areas including Engineering, launched the new specification for their BTEC Nationals in Engineering, to be adopted by delivery centres from September 2016.

This presented changes and challenges for the hundreds of centres across the United Kingdom who deliver the level 3 qualifications. Changes included 120 compulsory guided learning hours on Microcontroller Systems, for example. At Matrix, we reacted promptly, developing a curriculum for unit 6, which lecturers and students can follow as a scheme of work; giving them an interesting and engaging way of understanding how microcontroller systems work. This was underlined further as Pearson approved our solutions for microcontroller systems study (Flowcode and E-blocks) during 2016. Flowcode is listed as one of only a handful of approved programming languages which can be used for this unit. 2016 BTEC National Extended Diploma Specification (page 103).

This unit has a number of testing learning objectives for centres to deliver with their students. What’s more, it’s also a unit which has to be studied by engineers across multiple disciplines including mechanical and operations engineers. These students are less likely to be motivated by flashing LEDs, LCD screen printing and other typically electronic type tasks and scenarios. At Matrix, we make studying electronics and microcontrollers exciting.

Whether you are looking to deliver with the ever-popular PIC range of hardware from Microchip, or the growing in popularity (certainly within education) Arduino platform, we have a range of solutions spanning robotics, mechatronics and more which give you the ability to deliver engaging teaching for unit 6.

We have also excelled our curriculum mapping amongst other BTEC units at level 3 and we are now able to offer colleges and training centres solutions including curriculum and equipment for more than half of the hands-on practical units under the new 2016 BTEC National Engineering specification.

We’re also aware of the fact that many delivery centres are continuing their delivery of the 2010 specification at level 3 (despite the quals being ineligible for performance measures of 19-23 entitlement funding), and we have ensured we also acknowledge these institutions, too. Our established brands including Locktronics, Automatics, Flowcode and more, meet the requirements set out within the 2010 spec – whether it be for electrical and electronic principles, mechanical principles, programmable controllers or other units set out by Pearson.

At the end of 2016, Pearson continued their qualification development for within the Engineering BTEC’s as they published a new specification for their level 4 and level 5 qualifications: The Higher Nationals in Engineering. Amongst the changes here include two “specialist” units at Diploma level (level 5) entitled “Industrial Power, Electronics and Storage” (unit 44) and “Industrial Systems” (unit 45).

It’s great to see Pearson developing units which are critical to the development of our future engineers. Leading-edge topics such as power and energy systems are crucial for engineers’ understanding and reflect the typical topics and issues which will face the engineers of tomorrow.

We’ve followed suit, with the development of solutions including our Power and Energy Electronics solution, which is designed to meet some of the learning objectives set out in unit 44. The solution is supplied to centres with one of our most in-depth, detailed and impressive curriculum guides.

Meanwhile, for unit 45 we are recommending our Industrial Sensor, Actuator and Control solution, Flowcode graphical programming software and our upcoming solution(s) for study of Electrical Machines and Internet of Things.

Our close links with Pearson, along with our broad understanding and 24 years’ experience working within the Further and Higher education sectors of global education have given us the ability to specify our wide-ranging solutions into the units for the latest specifications set out by Pearson for their BTEC Engineering Nationals and Higher Nationals, from levels 3 to 5. To find out more and see how we’re able to deliver the units your students are studying, visit the web pages we have developed for  BTEC curriculum mapping and get in touch for more information.

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