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Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Course Code: CAD3
  • Level: 3
  • Qualification: College Certificate
  • Awarding body: City & Guilds (C&G)
  • Duration: One year
  • Course type: Part-time
  • Time of day: Evening
  • When you'll study: Thursdays, 6.30pm - 8.30pm
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What's it all about?

This course will help you build the practical skills needed to produce professional 2D and 3D engineering drawings using CAD. You will learn how to set up a CAD workspace, create accurate 2D drawings to standard conventions, develop 3D models using common modelling methods, and produce print-ready outputs for technical communication. It is ideal if you want to move into engineering, manufacturing or technical design, or strengthen your existing CAD skills to a recognised level 3 standard.

Course information

This course focuses on producing accurate 2D and 3D drawings using CAD, incorporating recognised 3D modelling methods and professional drawing outputs. You will study:

  • CAD setup and systems, including hardware performance factors, input and output devices, software requirements, data storage and backup processes, drawing aids, drawing limits and parameters, structured layers, and the creation and use of library drawings
  • 2D CAD principles, focusing on producing drawings that contain essential technical information while applying standard engineering conventions such as projection types, units, scale, material specifications, tolerances, line types, dimensioning conventions, and cross-hatching
  • coordinate systems, including absolute, relative, and polar coordinates, as well as world and user coordinate systems. You will also learn editing and manipulation tools to efficiently revise drawings, alongside the correct use of text, annotations, and library items
  • 3D CAD techniques, including the role of detail and assembly drawings, comparison of 3D visual representation methods, and the use of core 3D commands such as extrude, revolve, primitives, and Boolean operations, supported by shading and rendering techniques
  • output and presentation skills, including printing and plotting to different sheet sizes and settings, producing updated hard copies following modifications, importing drawings into presentation software, and understanding how CAD data can be transferred to CAM systems.

There are no specific qualifications required for this course. However, you should have good IT skills and be confident in managing files and folders. Previous CAD experience is desirable but not essential.

You will be assessed through a City & Guilds assignment comprising centre-devised practical CAD tasks and short-answer written questions.

You will complete practical 2D and 3D CAD tasks, producing a portfolio of evidence that demonstrates competence across all learning outcomes. Underpinning knowledge will be assessed through short-answer questions, while practical performance will be evidenced through tutor observation during task completion.

On successful completion, you could progress to further study in engineering or technical design, including:

Adult learners may also consider the Access to Higher Education Diploma in Science and Engineering at the College to support progression onto university-level study.

Please note fees are quoted for one year only.

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Future careers

What you could earn:

IT Business Analysts, Architects and Systems Designers

£111,232.09

Potential salary

£38,215.96

Entry level salary

£66,327.00

Average salary

13

Annual openings in Plymouth

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