New Zealand Certificate in Automotive Engineering (Level 3)

Your workload

You will be expected to complete up to 30 hours of contact time at Otago Polytechnic and up to 15 hours of additional self-directed study per week; an additional 100 hours of work experience will be required for completing as part of the programme. Usual timetable hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, with either a Thursday or Friday on work experience. 

Skills needed to work in this area

• The ability to work with tools and equipment
• Sound communication and people skills
• Alertness and adaptability
• Good hand-eye coordination 
• Good memory
• Flexibility to change.

Entry requirements

• 10 NCEA Level 1 literacy credits (reading and writing) and 10 NCEA Level 1 numeracy credits OR be able to demonstrate suitable knowledge and skills. 
• Domestic applicants aged 20 and above who do not meet the academic entry requirements, but who can demonstrate their skills, education and/or work experience, may be eligible for special admission.
• International students will be individually assessed to ensure they have an acceptable level of secondary school achievement. 
• If English is not your first language, you must provide:
  • New Zealand University Entrance OR
  • Overall Academic IELTS 5.0 with no individual 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 NZQA proficiency table and here for list of recognised proficiency tests).

If you need to improve your English Language skills, we offer a wide range of English programmes.

Want your existing skills recognised?

If you have extensive knowledge and skills due to practical experience in this area, please ask us about our recognition of prior learning process. You may have already gained credits towards this qualification and could achieve it in a shorter timeframe. Please email info@op.ac.nz or call 0800 762 786.

Youth Guarantee Scheme information (domestic students aged 16-24)

If you are aged 16-24 and feel that school didn’t work out for you, you may be able to study this programme via our Youth Guarantee Scheme and pay no fees. This also applies if you are going to be 15 years old at the time that this programme starts and you have an early exemption letter from school.

To be eligible for Youth Guarantee funding, you must:

• Be a domestic student aged 16-24 
• OR be 15 years of age at the time when you commence the programme AND have an early leaving exemption letter from your school
• Don’t already have (or are not about to have) a Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in any subject
• Have been thinking about leaving school and getting a job OR prefer to be working towards a career rather than staying at school OR have left school and are not sure how to enter higher education or employment
• Want to learn practical skills
• Be more motivated in a non-school setting and be prepared to enrol in a full-time or part-time programme.

Fees and allowances

The Youth Guarantee Scheme will cover tuition fees, material and equipment costs of your programme of study. Learners aged 18-24 who are enrolled in fees-free Youth Guarantee qualifications will now be able to access the course-related costs part of the student loan and student allowances if they meet the eligibility criteria.

Those under 18 years old will not be able to access any part of the student loans. Funding for travel is available, conditions apply. Please visit the Studylink website for full details. We strongly recommend that you read this carefully prior to applying for this programme.

The process

• There is not a separate Youth Guarantee application form. Please apply for this programme by using our standard Otago Polytechnic application form. To apply online, or to download a paper version, click the blue 'Apply' button at the top right-hand corner of this page.
• If you meet the criteria for Youth Guarantee funding you will be offered the funding if it is available. We will ask you to let us know within two weeks if you do not wish to take up the funding.  
• If there is no Youth Guarantee funding available, we will send you a letter advising you of this. Along with this letter, you will receive an invoice, terms and conditions, a Studylink brochure and an equipment list advising what you will need to purchase before starting your programme.

Additional costs

You need to buy all of your textbooks, stationery, tools, safety equipment, and clothing before the programme starts. However, please do not buy anything until you have been offered a place on the programme and have accepted that place. You will only need your writing materials on the first day so please only bring these along.

Stationery (essential)

• 1 x A4 lever arch file with five tab dividers/or notebook (1B5)
• Pens/pencils/eraser etc. 

Smart device (essential):

• Laptop or tablet which is wifi capable, able to take photos and use Windows 365 applications

Safety equipment and clothing (essential):

• Approved safety footwear (i.e. steel caps) 
• One pair of overalls (long sleeved, 100% cotton, zip, TWZ overall - black) 
• Two pairs of work trousers (black, work cotton)
• Two work shirts (high vis)
• Welding gloves - gauntlet (red or blue)
• Fitted safety glasses - clear (Scope Phat Boxa)
• Leather rigger gloves

All clothing and equipment can be purchased at: 

Road Materials 
6 Birch Street 
Dunedin 9016

Otago Polytechnic will provide embroidered patches for your overalls that will be sewn on by Road Materials. Overalls will then be sent through to Otago Polytechnic to be available for you on your first day.

Tuition fees

The tuition fees shown above are approximate only. There may be a slight fee increase per year once Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) rules and guidelines are applied. These fees also don’t include additional costs or living costs.