EDUCATION & TRAINING
BTEC NATIONAL CERTIFICATE
IN POLYMER PROCESSING & MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY

The Polymer Centre has recently been established by Pea Soup Ltd. in order to support the region’s polymer industry in the areas of education, training and technical assistance

As part of our education and training provision, the centre offers the BTEC National Certificate in Polymer Processing & Materials Technology and this factsheet provides an outline of the course, its content, assessment, progression routes and qualifying conditions

What is the National Certificate?

The BTEC National Certificate in Polymer Processing & Materials Technology is a Level 3 specialist work related qualification. Recently developed by BTEC, the course will suit individuals working in the polymer industry in a technical capacity, people who are considering career change or those undertaking an advanced modern apprenticeship

Nationally recognised, the course is accredited by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority

Who will benefit from enrolling on the National Certificate?

Those individuals most likely to find the course beneficial are as follows:

· Operators moving to a team leader role
· Advanced Modern Apprentices (AMA’s)
· Polymer technicians
· Technical sales people
· Setter/operators
· People looking for a career change

What is studied on the National Certificate?

The course is comprised of 12 units, which can be separated into 4 core units and 8 specialist units. A list of the units is shown in the following table:

How is the qualification assessed?

A variety of methods are used to assess the BTEC National Certificate. The following list is not exhaustive, but indicates the most regularly used means of assessment:

· Case studies
· Assignments
· Work-based assessment
· Projects
· Performance observations
· Time-constrained assessments

Both internal and external assessment and verification are utilised for this qualification

How long is the course of study?

The BTEC National Certificate is studied over 2 academic years

What is needed to start the course?

Prior to commencement, individuals will need to have knowledge of manufacturing, and specifically the plastics/polymer industry.

Typical qualifications that course entrants may have are as follows:

· BTEC first qualification in a related vocational area
· Intermediate GNVQ in a related vocational area
· 4 GCSE’s at grade C or higher, to include Maths, English and a science
· A Foundation Modern Apprenticeship (FMA)
· Another qualification equivalent to the level shown above
· Relevant experience within the polymer industry

What happens next after completion?

The following study options exist after successful completion of the BTEC National Certificate:

· BTEC HNC in Polymer Processing & Materials Technology
· A foundation degree
· A degree in a related area of study
· Additional specialist polymer courses