How you’d get it

How you’d get this certificate

  1. Zavmo teaches you. You learn the units one-to-one with an AI tutor, on your own work.
  2. You register with an approved centre. That is a college, training provider or employer Pearson Education Ltd has approved to offer this qualification. Zavmo is not an approved centre, so you register with them, not with us.
  3. The centre assesses, and Pearson Education Ltd awards. A qualified assessor at the centre judges your evidence, and the certificate comes from Pearson Education Ltd.

More on studying for a qualification

01What it is

BTEC Higher Nationals provide specialist learning at Levels 4 and 5 in over 40 subjects, offering a cost-effective, vocational pathway to higher education.

These are the units Pearson Education Ltd registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated. Zavmo teaches towards them on your own work, and work done here is recognised as prior learning under the agreements we hold.

Zavmo is not an awarding body, is not an approved centre, and is not affiliated with Pearson Education Ltd. It does the teaching and the mapping. Pearson Education Ltd sets this qualification and awards it, and a qualified human assessor makes the assessment decision.

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02The units

What each unit actually teaches you to do

Analogue and Digital Electronics Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll investigate logic functions and design logic systems using tabular and Karnaugh map methods. The unit also examines the use of Class A and Class B amplifiers and operational amplifier circuits within modern analogue and digital electronic systems.

What you'll be able to do

  • Investigate logic functions
  • Produce tabular and Karnaugh map designs to implement logic systems
  • Examine the use of Class A and Class B amplifiers in modern systems
  • Investigate operational amplifier circuits and their application
Automation, Robotics and Programmable Logic Controllers Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll describe the design and operational characteristics of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) systems and design simple PLC programmes. The unit covers PLC components, programming techniques, industrial robot elements, and the design of robotic work cells.

What you'll be able to do

  • Describe the design characteristics of a PLC system
  • Describe the operational characteristics of a PLC system
  • Design a simple PLC program by considering PLC information
  • Design a simple PLC program by considering PLC programming techniques
  • Design a simple PLC program by considering PLC communication techniques
  • Describe the key elements of industrial robots
  • Program industrial robots with straightforward commands to perform a given task
  • Investigate the design of a robot within an industrial application
  • Investigate the safe operation of a robot within an industrial application
Computer Aided Design(CAD) for Engineering Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit covers the role of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering contexts, emphasising its influence on design and manufacturing processes. You'll develop skills in using 2D and 3D CAD software to produce visualisations and technical drawings, and present these outputs effectively.

What you'll be able to do

  • Discuss the role of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) in different engineering contexts, such as mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering.
  • Explain the influence of CAD on design and manufacturing processes in areas of specialist practice, considering factors such as accuracy, efficiency, and cost.
  • Use 2D CAD software to produce visualisations and technical drawings, demonstrating proficiency in creating accurate and detailed representations.
  • Use 3D CAD software to produce visualisations and technical drawings, demonstrating the ability to create complex models and assemblies.
  • Present drawings and renderings, for a given project, produced using CAD software, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and adherence to industry standards.
  • Evaluate the way in which CAD software may integrate into production processes, considering factors such as CAM integration and rapid prototyping.
Data and Information Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
It teaches you to distinguish between data and information and understand their roles in decision-making. You'll assess the impact of data quality on information reliability and demonstrate methods for primary and secondary data collection and analysis.

What you'll be able to do

  • Investigate and explain the fundamental differences between data and information, and their respective roles in effective decision-making processes.
  • Examine and evaluate the impact of data quality, including accuracy, completeness, and consistency, on the production of reliable information for decision-making.
  • Demonstrate and apply appropriate methods for primary data collection, such as surveys and experiments, and secondary data collection, such as literature reviews and database searches.
  • Assess and apply various data analysis methods and techniques, including statistical analysis and data visualisation, to meet or exceed customer or organisational requirements and expectations.
Digital Devices and Systems Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
It teaches you to design combinational and sequential logic circuits considering performance, cost, and timing factors. You'll implement these designs using hardware description language (HDL) software and test their functionality according to industry standards.

What you'll be able to do

  • Design combinational logic circuits, such as adders and multiplexers, for suitable applications, considering factors like performance and cost.
  • Design sequential logic circuits, such as flip-flops and counters, for suitable applications, considering factors like timing and state management.
  • Implement combinational and sequential logic circuits using a hardware description language (HDL) software package, such as VHDL or Verilog, following industry coding standards.
  • Test and verify the functionality of combinational and sequential logic designs using a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) development board, analysing the results and making necessary adjustments.
Digital Principles Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
It teaches you to explain and analyse simple combinational and sequential logic circuits. You'll describe technologies used to implement digital electronic circuits and evaluate a range of digital sub-systems that form the building blocks of complex systems.

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the operation of simple combinational logic circuits
  • Analyse the behaviour of simple combinational logic circuits
  • Explain the operation of simple sequential logic circuits
  • Analyse the behaviour of simple sequential logic circuits
  • Describe the technologies used to implement digital electronic circuits
  • Evaluate the technologies used to implement digital electronic circuits
  • Describe a range of digital sub-systems
  • Analyse a range of digital sub-systems to establish the building blocks for larger systems
Engineering Maths Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll identify and apply mathematical and statistical methods relevant to engineering problems. The unit covers algebra, trigonometry, calculus, statistical techniques, and computational methods for solving engineering challenges and interpreting data.

What you'll be able to do

  • Identify the relevance and application of various mathematical methods to a range of conceptualised engineering examples.
  • Investigate and apply statistical techniques to interpret, organise, and present data relevant to engineering contexts.
  • Use analytical and computational methods to solve engineering problems by relating sinusoidal wave and vector functions to their respective engineering applications.
  • Examine how differential and integral calculus can be effectively used to solve a variety of engineering problems.
Engineering Mechanics and Materials Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit provides an understanding of the fundamental structures, properties, and performance of common engineering materials. You'll assess materials using key indicators and established databases and calculate solutions to engineering mechanics problems.

What you'll be able to do

  • Describe the fundamental structures of common engineering materials.
  • Identify the most important properties of engineering materials.
  • Assess the performance of engineering materials using key indicators.
  • Assess the performance of engineering materials considering materials constraints.
  • Assess the performance of engineering materials using established database resources.
  • Calculate solutions to problems within static mechanical systems, with consideration of constraints on performance.
  • Calculate solutions to problems within dynamic mechanical systems, with consideration of constraints on performance.
Engineering Science Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit equips learners with skills to analyse scientific data using quantitative and qualitative methods. You'll determine parametres within mechanical engineering systems, explore material properties, and analyse applications of electrical circuit theorems and electromagnetic principles.

What you'll be able to do

  • Examine scientific data using quantitative methods, applying statistical techniques to analyse numerical data and draw conclusions.
  • Examine scientific data using qualitative methods, interpreting non-numerical data to identify patterns, themes, and insights.
  • Determine parameters within mechanical engineering systems, calculating values such as force, stress, strain, and velocity.
  • Explore the characteristics of engineering materials, describing their physical, mechanical, and chemical properties.
  • Explore the properties of engineering materials, investigating their behaviour under different conditions and loads.
  • Analyse applications of A.C. circuit theorems, applying them to solve problems and design circuits.
  • Analyse applications of D.C. circuit theorems, applying them to solve problems and design circuits.
  • Analyse applications of electromagnetic principles, applying them to understand and design electromagnetic devices.
  • Analyse applications of electromagnetic properties, applying them to understand and design electromagnetic devices.
Industrial Robots Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit covers the operational characteristics, selection criteria, and applications of industrial robots in manufacturing. You'll explain associated safety standards, programme robots for automated processes, and investigate the global economic impact of robotics.

What you'll be able to do

  • Describe the operational characteristics of industrial robots, including their kinematic structures, degrees of freedom, and working envelopes.
  • Define the selection criteria for industrial robots based on specific application requirements, considering factors such as payload capacity, reach, and precision.
  • Discuss the applications of industrial robots within various manufacturing industries, providing examples of how they are used to automate tasks and improve efficiency.
  • Explain the safety standards associated with industrial robots, including risk assessment procedures, safety devices, and safe operating practices.
  • Program an industrial robot for an automated process application, demonstrating the ability to define robot movements, coordinate tasks, and integrate with other equipment.
  • Investigate the global economic scope of industrial robots, analysing their impact on manufacturing productivity, employment, and competitiveness.
  • Explain the integration of industrial robots into smart factories, describing how they contribute to data collection, process optimisation, and overall system intelligence.
Industry 4.0 Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
It teaches you to investigate the factors leading to Industry 4.0 and describe smart factory characteristics. You'll review cyber-physical technologies shaping Industry 4.0 and analyse the benefits to suppliers, producers, and customers.

What you'll be able to do

  • Investigate the key factors that have led to the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0).
  • Describe the characteristics of a smart factory, including its key features and operational principles.
  • Review the range of cyber-physical technologies that are shaping Industry 4.0, such as IoT, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
  • Analyse the benefits of Industry 4.0 to suppliers, producers, and customers, considering factors such as efficiency, productivity, and customisation.
  • Examine the factors that manufacturers need to consider when transitioning from Industry 3.0 to Industry 4.0, including infrastructure, skills, and security.
  • Explore futuristic trends in manufacturing, such as additive manufacturing and advanced robotics.
  • Analyse the factors that are shaping Industry 5.0, including human-machine collaboration and sustainability.
Instrumentation and Control Systems Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit focuses on identifying instrumentation systems and devices used in process control and investigating industrial process control systems. You'll analyse control concepts and technologies and apply predicted values to maintain stability within control systems.

What you'll be able to do

  • Identify the instrumentation systems used in process control
  • Identify the instrumentation devices used in process control
  • Investigate industrial process control systems
  • Analyse the control concepts used within an industrial process
  • Analyse the technologies used within an industrial process
  • Apply predicted values to ensure stability within a control system
Internet and Network Technologies Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll analyse the evolution of the Internet and evaluate the suitability of network protocols such as TCP/IP and HTTP for specific applications. The unit also covers the production of network designs that meet customer requirements and conform to industry best practices.

What you'll be able to do

  • Discuss and analyse the evolution of the Internet, identifying major technological advancements and significant transitions in its usage patterns.
  • Evaluate the suitability of different network protocols, such as TCP/IP and HTTP, to meet specific application requirements, referencing relevant industry standards and best practices.
  • Produce detailed network designs that effectively meet customer requirements, ensuring they conform to industry best practices for performance, scalability, and security.
  • Analyse the various security threats faced by computer networks, including malware, phishing, and denial-of-service attacks, and communicate effective mitigation strategies to protect network infrastructure and data.
Mechatronics Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll explore the design and operational characteristics of mechatronic systems, including sensors, actuators, and controllers. The unit involves designing system specifications, using simulation and modelling software to examine system operation, and identifying and correcting faults.

What you'll be able to do

  • Explain the design characteristics of a mechatronic system, including its key components and their interactions.
  • Explain the operational characteristics of a mechatronic system, detailing how it functions and achieves its intended purpose.
  • Design a mechatronic system specification that meets the requirements of a given application, considering factors such as performance, cost, and reliability.
  • Examine the operation of a mechatronics system using simulation software to model its behaviour and predict its performance.
  • Examine the function of a mechatronics system using modelling software to analyse its response to different inputs and conditions.
  • Identify faults within a mechatronic system by using diagnostic techniques and tools to pinpoint the source of the problem.
  • Correct faults in a mechatronic system by implementing appropriate repair or replacement procedures to restore it to proper working order.
Professional Engineering Practice Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll identify the roles, responsibilities, and competences of professional engineers within organisations. The unit covers regulatory, legislative, and ethical frameworks governing engineering practice, and examines the importance of communication, teamwork, and leadership.

What you'll be able to do

  • Identify the roles of a professional engineer, outlining their responsibilities and duties within an organisation.
  • Identify the responsibilities of a professional engineer, detailing their accountability for their work and its impact.
  • Identify the competences of a professional engineer, describing the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for effective performance.
  • Describe the regulatory frameworks that govern the work of the professional engineer, including relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards.
  • Describe the legislative frameworks that govern the work of the professional engineer, including relevant acts of parliament and legal requirements.
  • Describe the ethical frameworks that govern the work of the professional engineer, including codes of conduct and principles of professional behaviour.
  • Review the role of communication in the development of professional engineers, emphasising the importance of clear and effective communication skills.
  • Review the role of team working in the development of professional engineers, highlighting the benefits of collaboration and cooperation.
  • Review the role of leadership in the development of professional engineers, exploring different leadership styles and their impact on team performance.
  • Discuss how professional engineers can develop holistic approaches to the sustainability of manufacturing processes, considering environmental, social, and economic factors.
Programmable Logic Controllers Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
It teaches you to describe the design principles, architecture, and operation of PLC systems. You'll evaluate selection criteria, explore functional safety concepts, develop PLC programmes for automated processes, and review information exchange with other devices.

What you'll be able to do

  • Describe the design principles of Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) systems, considering factors such as architecture and components.
  • Explain the operation of PLC systems, detailing the sequence of events and processes involved in their functioning.
  • Evaluate the selection criteria for PLC systems based on specific application requirements and performance characteristics.
  • Explore the concepts and standards related to Functional Safety within PLC systems, including risk assessment and safety integrity levels.
  • Develop a PLC program for an automated process system, demonstrating the ability to implement control logic and sequencing.
  • Review the methods by which PLCs exchange information with other devices, such as sensors, actuators, and supervisory systems.
  • Analyse how PLCs process signals from various input devices and generate appropriate output signals to control automated processes.
Programming for Engineers Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll explore software evolution and development methodologies relevant to engineering applications. This unit enables the design, implementation, and testing of programming solutions to engineering problems, ensuring outputs meet defined requirements and constraints.

What you'll be able to do

  • Discuss key aspects of software evolution and development in the context of engineering applications
  • Design a programming solution for an engineering problem, considering relevant constraints and requirements
  • Implement a programming solution for an engineering problem using appropriate programming languages and tools
  • Perform testing of the programming solution to meet defined requirements and to ensure high quality outputs
Quality and Process Improvement Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll illustrate applications of statistical process control in industrial environments to improve efficiency. The unit includes analysis of cost-effective quality control tools and the role of standards in meeting customer requirements and enhancing operational performance.

What you'll be able to do

  • Illustrate the applications of statistical process control when applied in an industrial environment, providing examples of how it can be used to monitor and improve processes.
  • Illustrate how statistical process control can improve efficiency, demonstrating its ability to reduce waste, improve quality, and increase productivity.
  • Analyse cost effective quality control tools, evaluating their effectiveness and cost-benefit ratio.
  • Determine the role of standards in improving efficiency, explaining how they can streamline processes and reduce errors.
  • Determine the role of standards in meeting customer requirements, demonstrating how they can ensure products and services meet customer expectations.
  • Determine the role of standards in opening up new opportunities for trade, explaining how they can facilitate international commerce and access to new markets.
  • Analyse the importance of total quality management in manufacturing environments, explaining its principles and benefits.
  • Analyse the importance of continuous improvement in manufacturing environments, explaining its principles and benefits.
Renewable Energy Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
This unit explores renewable energy resources and current storage and generation technologies. You'll determine the optimum combination and efficiencies of renewable technologies for specific locations and conduct cost–benefit analyses comparing renewable and conventional energy sources.

What you'll be able to do

  • Explore potential renewable energy resources, including an evaluation of current storage and generation technologies.
  • Determine the optimum combination and efficiencies of different renewable energy technologies for a specific location, considering factors such as resource availability and environmental impact.
  • Conduct a comprehensive cost–benefit analysis to determine the most viable option between renewable and conventional energy sources, considering economic and environmental factors.
  • Explain the socio-economic, legislative, and environmental factors involved in the consideration and selection of alternative approaches to renewable energy resources and technologies.
Telecommunication Principles Real unit · Pearson Education Ltd
You'll develop fundamental knowledge of analogue and digital electronic communication systems, including modulation techniques, signal processing, and digital encoding. The unit also covers the assessment of transmission channels and the design of data networks.

What you'll be able to do

  • Develop fundamental knowledge of analogue electronic communication systems, including modulation techniques and signal processing.
  • Analyse digital communication techniques, including encoding, multiplexing, and error correction.
  • Assess transmission channels and applications, considering factors such as bandwidth, noise, and interference.
  • Investigate the design of Data Networks, including network topologies, protocols, and security considerations.
  • Evaluate the performance of different communication systems based on key metrics such as data rate, reliability, and latency.
  • Apply appropriate communication techniques to solve practical engineering problems.
03Where it leads

The jobs these credits are mapped to

A qualification is never a dead end here. Each of these is a job record this qualification is a mapped route into.

Showing 6 roles, drawn from 67 job records mapped to this qualification. Near-identical records are folded together, and each row says how many it stands for.

Where this can lead

Robotics Systems Integrator

This work can lead to lead robotics integrator roles, then into principal engineer or automation management positions.

See the whole journey
04The credits

The credits, and who awards them

Level 4 credits are regulated, and they are awarded by Pearson Education Ltd rather than by Zavmo. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you have covered and what is next.

What you would be collecting

Analogue and Digital ElectronicsAutomation, Robotics and Programmable Logic ControllersComputer Aided Design(CAD) for EngineeringData and InformationDigital Devices and SystemsDigital PrinciplesEngineering MathsEngineering Mechanics and Materials

Each one is a real unit registered against this qualification.

How you’d practise it

You don’t watch this. You do it.

You are not assessed on remembering this. You are assessed on applying it, analysing it, evaluating it and producing something. So that is what the practice is: projects, role play and your own live cases, with a tutor in the room.

The Analyst The Analyst · your map-it-properly tutor Illustration
The Analyst In “Data and Information” you have moved the target from 48 hours to 24. Where does that time come from?
You The team prioritises better, I suppose.
The Analyst Or it comes out of the follow-ups, and reopened cases climb in about six weeks. Let us map it and find out which, before it is a surprise.
The same lesson on the real thing: the conversation in the middle, the thinking ladder on the left, and the criteria each answer is evidencing on the right.
  • Map a live decision Analyse

    “Data and Information” runs on a decision you are facing now. Zavmo maps it with you and shows what the second-order effect looks like before you find out the slow way.

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Analogue and Digital Electronics, one of this qualification's own units.

Analogue and Digital Electronics Level 4

Applied to your work in any of these jobs

Learners will investigate logic functions and design logic systems using tabular and Karnaugh map methods. The unit also examines the use of Class A and Class B amplifiers and operational amplifier circuits within modern analogue and digital electronic systems.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time. Teaching towards this qualification begins when you subscribe.

Your Plan Illustration

Built for Pearson BTEC Level 4 Higher National Certificate in Automation and Control Engineering

20 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Pearson Education Ltd.

  1. Analogue and Digital Electronics
  2. Automation, Robotics and Programmable Logic Controllers
  3. Computer Aided Design(CAD) for Engineering
  4. Data and Information
  5. Digital Devices and Systems
  6. Digital Principles

and 14 more in the full unit list below.

These are the real units of this credential, in its own order. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

Learned on your own work, taught one-to-one.

Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your free first module is Future Fluency, so you can see how the teaching works before you pay for anything.

Build my plan, free

No card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.

The title, level, credits, guided learning hours and unit learning outcomes on this page are taken from the Ofqual Register of Regulated Qualifications. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Where this data comes from.