Higher Nationals

What are Higher Nationals?

Higher Nationals are Level 4 and 5 qualifications that are recognised by industry and have been designed to support those looking to further their engineering careers through the expansion of their technical knowledge.

The Higher National Certificate (HNC) and Higher National Diploma (HND) qualifications are equivalent to the first two years of an honors degree and as such, higher nationals can also act as a pathway to higher educational study, typically a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree.

Our programmes include projects specific to your workplace, allowing you to develop skills and knowledge that are directly applicable to an existing role.

We have a number of higher national programmes available to suit your specific needs, you can learn more about each programme by selecting it from the list below:

• HNC in Electrical Engineering
• HNC in Mechanical Engineering
• HND in Engineering
• Engineering Manufacturing Technician (Level 4 Apprenticeship)
• Lead Engineering Technician (Level 4 Apprenticehsip)

Applying for Higher Nationals

Applying for a higher national programme is the first step to progressing your career by levelling up your skills and knowledge.

Applications for our next higher national cohort will open in early 2026.

Also in this section:

• Higher Nationals
  • HNC in Electrical Engineering
  • HNC in Mechanical Engineering
  • HND in Engineering
  • Engineering Manufacturing Technician
  • Lead Engineering Technician