Institute of Technology or Polytechnic
Otago PolytechnicNew Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Trade) (Level 4)
Level of Study
Certificate
Summary
About the programmeAre you currently working in a mechanical engineering trade and want to upskill and diversify? Keen to try an engineering apprenticeship?
The New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering at Otago Polytechnic will provide you with an excellent level of strong, base knowledge, understanding, and practical skill to work without supervision in your chosen discipline.
You will be able to use this qualification to support your workplace efficiency and improve your skillset, making you a valuable asset to any employer in the mechanical engineering industry, now and in the future.
This programme is taught by qualified engineering tradespeople and is delivered part-time over four years. You will complete your work predominantly ‘on-job’ (in the workplace) as well as scheduled ‘off-job’ training activities. You'll be in a formal apprenticeship agreement between yourself, your employer and Otago Polytechnic. We will identify and direct learning opportunities after discussions with both you and your employer to produce an individual learning plan.
Your employer will support your on-job work-based learning as well as offering additional, rich learning opportunities as identified and required by your workplace. Timetabled off-job training sessions are there to support the on-job learning involved in this programme.
Once you have successfully completed this Certificate, you will be able to work independently as a Mechanical Engineering tradesperson in your chosen discipline in the mechanical engineering and manufacturing industries.
Specific roles for each of these disciplines may include:
- Fitting and Machining strand - Fitter Turner, Fitter
- General Engineering strand - General Engineer
Note: This programme is worth 270 credits across 4 years part-time, however if you have already successfully completed the New Zealand Certificate in Mechanical Engineering (Level 3), you will only be required to study part-time across 3 years, and the credits awarded will be 190.
Entry criteria
Entry Entry requirementsTo be admitted to this course, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- 40 credits NCEA Level 1, including 10 literacy credits and 10 numeracy credits (or equivalent), AND
- be working in the engineering industry, AND
- be supervised by someone who is prepared to support the training
Enrolment into this course will also require the apprentice, employer, and Otago Polytechnic to enter into a training agreement. This agreement will outline the responsibilities of each party to the apprenticeship and will align with the principles in the Code of Good Practice for New Zealand Apprenticeships
International equivalenceTo enter Otago Polytechnic's undergraduate certificates, diplomas and degrees, you need to have achieved a secondary school qualification that is equivalent to New Zealand's NCEA levels (National Certificate of Educational Achievement).
This information is available by country on our Equivalent academic entry requirements page.
English Language requirementsIf English is not your first language, you must provide:
- New Zealand University Entrance OR
- Overall IELTS 5.5 (general or academic, no band score lower than 5.0) achieved in one test completed in the last two years, OR
- Acceptable alternative evidence of the required IELTS (see here for internationally recognised proficiency tests and proficiency outcomes for international students).
If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.
Special admissionApplicants who do not meet the academic requirements may be given special admission if they can provide evidence that they are capable of achieving the programme outcomes. Special admission may also apply for applicants over 20 years.
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