Which 2 Options do you think DS should be looking at for an interest in Engineering...aerospace maybe? Photo Attached

I'd go for either DT or Computing equally - engineering will require more and more computing and this will be much more relevant to engineering than ICT would which is more for people who need to use computer technology for non-technical applications. However DT would be fun.

For the second column I would definitely go for economics. Too many times a genius engineer ends up inventing something brilliant and then fail to properly capitalise on the potential of their idea. I know economics at gcse is more about government and political stuff but being able to engage with the topics of tax and finance as well as the technicalities of engineering.

He's quite interested in robotics.🤔

It's DT we're thinking of ditching for history( he hates geography)😬

Geography can foster an interest in environmental engineering and designing to mitigate flooding in particular. All sorts of subjects can be relevant and stimulate interest. No-one working for DH programs computers but they do a lot of work designing water and traffic management!

Ooh yes I think I passed my Geology module by recalling what I'd learnt in Geography at school!

I would do a humanity. Geography can be a useful background for some Engineering disciplines but you have to decide if CS is more useful.

It's Ebacc and either CS or DT or CS and DT and no humanities.Any thoughts?

To the previous poster pretty sure CS is the more well thought of GCSE.

@Appuskidu no, I think Liz had got that he wrong way round. Computer Science is definitely not vague and definitely not being phased out.

Maths, physics and chemistry A levels. I know two engineering admissions tutor at different Universities neither consider engineering GCSE or A levels taken at school.

Computing is a bit vague and being phased out, ICT is the more rigorous

That’s not true, surely?!

DS is taking computing for gcse and has put down to take it for A level-no one has mentioned this before!

Liz-can you expand on this for me, please??

Any apprenticeship schemes with the aerospace industry are highly competitive and they will look at high exam results too. Going in at 16 and expecting accelerated promotion isn’t likely above their grad intake with MEng otherwise why would anyone do a degree?

Quite honestly do the EBac plus DT plus whatever he likes. Don’t go too light on subjects and don’t forget there is a difference between BEng and MEng. If he’s ex poly and it’s BEng, they won’t care. If he really wants a good job with fast career progression and wants to get Chartered, MEng is the best bet. Alternatively, look at the many other disciplines of Engineering. No-one who is competent at a Civils and Struvtutes will be out of a job! We are crying out for them. Don’t neglect soft skills. Even Drama can be useful for honing this!

Oh heck I'm confused now. My ds has to choose between Geography,Hist,CS and DT. We were pushing towards a humanity( for Ebacc and CS). Now wondering if DT and CS would be better.

Interestingly my dh did his Mech Eng degree at Cardiff with Btechs at nightschool.Got a 2:1 and then a Masters Computer Science at Sheffield. Did well in his career.Said the maths was hard in his degree as he didn't have Alevel but he coped,is naturally very good at maths and had to always drive himself( no family support hence the lack of Alevels). I think ds would be fine if he got on an engineering course. He has us though and is doing well at Physics/Maths.

Apologies op,I've hijacked your thread a tad. Will start my own if not useful.

Toomanytealights I've just checked the entry requirements for our local ex-poly & the points they require are equivalent to ABB. I think most courses will try to stick to that even if they are in clearing as students will struggle if they don't have a certain ability in maths.

Toomanytealights I have been looking into entry requirements for my ds and all the RG unis I have looked at so far require at least one A and often more.

OP I studied engineering many moons ago. As others have said, it is the maths & physics A Levels which are critical. However, I would really recommend DT for GCSEs as it helps to learn 3D visualisation which is really useful. In the olden days it would have been technical drawing so whichever DT subject the school offers which provides the most of that.

I meant higher marks with the physics and maths as you could focus more on them.

"Lighter" subjects don't necessarily mean higher marks.

Have a look at Cardiff university website, they will have their entry requirements for each engineering course on there.

Do you think the ebacc is preferable or lighter subjects to go with the physics and maths so higher marks to facilitate higher marks?

What does Cardiff want?

Start looking at aerospace companies. The big ones (airbus, Messier Bugatti Dowty, Rolls Royce, etc) offer degree apprenticeships from 16 and 18. It takes a little longer to get the degree but then you end up an aerospace engineering graduate with 5-9 years of relevant experience by the time you have the degree in your early/mid twenties and that leads to an accelerated career path

My DS is 2 years post grad, and as a graduate aerospace engineer he’s involved in coding, computer modelling, developing business cases, managing staff, presenting workshops across the UK and Europe, and not a widget in sight!
As Bubbles says there’s a lot more to Engineering. And despite the mumsnet stereotype, engineers also write reports and work well in teams!

I think people think that Engineers just make widgets, get greasy all day long or repair a washing machine! Academic engineering is just that - academic but with practical elements.

I do think job prospects are enhanced if you get A*AA as opposed to CCC and go on a high tariff course such as the MEng courses. That would go for many grads though. It’s fairly obvious that these grads will have more doors open and employers would be more impressed.

The other thing to bear in mind is that MEng grads usually get Chartered Engineer status quicker. BEng route can be quite slow without a Masters.

Further Maths always helps on the top courses. Plus flair of course. Business acumen is also now increasingly important too. Engineers run companies. They don’t just sit in a cubicle doing calcs. Interpersonal skills are also valued.

The main thing is to do the right A levels and if anyone isn’t going to get top grades, choose a course with a year in industry. It gets a foot in the door and it’s valuable. Some lower tariff universities have excellent industry links. Just don’t fall into the trap of thinking Engineering isn’t academic. It is.

Southampton also ask for A*AA for the aerospace engineering degrees.

What are the GCSEs he’s already taking other than those on the list?

As long as he’s got maths and physics (which he will have) it doesn’t really matter. So it’s a case of thinking about which courses he will enjoy and get the best grades in.

Look on UCAS.com and you will see that there are many universities that accept lower grades. A quick look through saw that University of South Wales would accept CDD.

So are engineering courses that ask for less still well thought of in the job market?Ds is good at maths( top set)and science,physics being his favoured,predicted A at GCSE. I do however appreciate that an A or A at Alevel for both is a tough call.