Engineering
An engineering career will provide you with excellent pay, lots of variety in your work and high levels of job satisfaction. Whichever discipline you choose, building a strong foundation of knowledge with an engineering course at NPTC Group of Colleges can start you out on your journey to success. You will gain other skills in English, Maths and IT, personal learning skills, social and communication skills, and green skills, which will make you a more rounded, employable professional. Our close relationship with industry ensures that we are in step with the latest technological advances, giving you the very best training available.
What will I do?
Mechanical
Mechanical engineering involves many different routes, including analysis, design and manufacturing. You will develop a solid understanding of key concepts. Mechanical and maintenance engineers use these principles and others in the design and analysis of specialist components in a variety of sectors.
Our purpose-built industry-specific workshops and classrooms house state-of-the-art engineering equipment and computers. Workshops contain manual lathes, milling machines and engineering benches, while separate specialised workshops and classrooms contain Haas advanced Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machines in both milling and turning, Computer Aided Design (CAD), electronics equipment and 3D printing technology. Our hydraulics and pneumatics/electro-pneumatics workshop houses many vital test rigs and our new automation lab is fitted with four PLC rigs. These apparatus, used widely within industry, are essential to test and assess the capability and performance of components for industrial use.
Advanced Manufacturing
Mechanical and maintenance engineering involves many different routes, including analysis, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems. You will develop a solid understanding of key concepts such as emerging technologies and green skills. Mechanical and maintenance engineering uses these principles and others in the design and analysis of specialist components in a variety of sectors.
Our purpose-built industry-specific workshops and classrooms house state-of-the-art engineering equipment and computers. Workshops contain manual lathes, milling machines and engineering benches, while separate specialised workshops and classrooms contain Haas advanced Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) machines in both milling and turning, Computer Aided Design (CAD) and 3D printing technology. Our hydraulics and pneumatics/electro-pneumatics workshop houses many vital test rigs which are essential to test and assess the capability and performance of components for industrial use.
Fabrication and Welding
The fabrication and welding industry requires highly skilled people, and there are many employment opportunities. Employment in areas such as energy, oil and gas, engineering, maintenance and industrial manufacturing is all accessible with a qualification in this discipline.
Our highly skilled lecturers will support and guide you through the basics of this industry, and you will learn how welding integrates into an engineering system. Our industry-specific purpose-built fabrication and welding workshops house high-quality equipment, covering all aspects of welding applications, including Metal Inert Gas (MIG), Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG), Manual Metal Arc (MMA), and Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing (DT/NDT), including CNC plasma machines.
Career Opportunities
- Strong links with over 100 local, regional and national employers
- Great progression opportunities to university and excellent apprenticeship programmes
- Fantastic state-of-the-art engineering facilities
- Courses are matched to industry standards to meet the skills needed
- One of the most in-demand, growing sectors of industry
Automotive and Vehicle Body Repair
Entering a career in mechanics or vehicle repair means guaranteeing a future of steady work. Slumps in the economy can affect people’s buying of new cars, but vehicles will always require maintenance and repair.
If you enjoy meeting different people every day, being ‘hands‑on’, working with cutting‑edge technology, or have a creative eye and a love of restoration, then a career working with any vehicle is waiting for you.
Learners benefit from excellent, industry‑standard facilities across our campuses. Motor vehicle departments are equipped with a wide range of modern vehicle lifts, diagnostic testing equipment and specialist tools to support learning in mechanical, electrical and diagnostic areas. Dedicated facilities also support the growing demand for electric and hybrid vehicle technologies, providing learners with opportunities to develop skills using the latest equipment and vehicles.
Purpose‑built workshops include MOT‑style ATL testing bays, diagnostics areas, all‑wheel alignment equipment and valeting facilities. Vehicle body repair workshops are designed to industrial specification and include state‑of‑the‑art spray booths, paint mixing rooms, wheel refurbishment booths and high‑intensity heating bays. These environments reflect real‑world working conditions and prepare learners for employment within the motor industry.
Investment in new technologies continues to enhance learning opportunities, ensuring learners gain experience with modern vehicles and their latest systems.
What will I do?
Our courses aim to explore a vehicle’s construction and develop the skills required to accurately repair mechanical faults, electrical systems, and vehicle body damage, ready for finishing.
You will complete a series of assignments and practical tasks carried out in our excellent facilities, developing both technical knowledge and hands‑on ability.
Career Opportunities
Employment for mechanics is usually with garages, transport companies, road haulage companies or large organisations with fleets of vehicles. At the technician level, you will perform skilled diagnostic work, including work on electronic and computer‑controlled systems. The work is challenging and logical, involving a high level of problem-solving.
In larger companies, it is often possible to gain promotion to supervisory and management roles.
Careers within vehicle body repair and refinishing are usually within garages, body shops and the motorsport industry that specialise in repairing vehicles after accident damage. Skills within body repair and refinishing range from panel sectioning and MIG welding to paint rectification and valeting.
