Higher National Qualification (HTQ) – Building Services Engineering


  • Start Date: 24/09/2025
  • Course is for: Adult
  • Course Length: 1 Year
  • Funding Support Funding Support:
    What is this
  • Learning Support:
    Find Out More

If you’re thinking about starting a career in Building Services, returning to education or want to develop your current career in the Building Services sector, then our HNC in Building Services Engineering is ideal for you.

The purpose of the Building Services Engineering qualification is to develop you into a professional, self-reflecting individual able to meet the demands of employers in the construction sector and adapt to a constantly changing world.

The qualifications aim to widen access to higher education and enhance the career prospects of those who undertake them.

The objectives of the Building Services Engineering are to:

  • give you the skills, knowledge and understanding they need to achieve high performance in the international construction environment
  • give you the abilities and confidence to work across different business functions and to lead, manage, respond to change, and tackle a range of complex construction situations
  • provide the core skills required for a range of careers in construction, specifically those related to management and operations
  • offer a balance between employability skills and essential knowledge
  • develop your understanding of the major impact that new digital technologies have on the construction environment
  • provide insight into international business operations and the opportunities and challenges presented by a global marketplace
  • equip you with knowledge and understanding of culturally diverse organisations, cross-cultural issues, diversity and values, and to allow flexible study to meet local and specialist needs.

The HNC (Higher National Certificate) in Building Services Engineering is an introductory higher education qualification and offers a broad base of traditional construction and BSE subjects with specialist options.

You will study 8 modules in total in order to successfully complete the HNC award, where all students take a total of 120 credits at level 4.

Modules include:

  • Construction Design Project
  • Construction Technology
  • The Construction Environment
  • Mathematics for Construction
  • Principles of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
  • Scientific Principles for Building Services
  • Digital Applications for Building Information Modelling
  • Principles of Alternative Energy

Some units are subject to change depending on industry requirements.

Required Entry Qualifications

A Level 3 qualification in Construction and The Built Environment

Mature applicants without qualifications but with equivalent experience and knowledge may apply.

Suitability will be determined at an interview.

Each module is formally assessed through, for example:

  • individual design projects
  • essays
  • presentations
  • peer assessment
  • open-book assignments
  • portfolio building
  • professional reports.

This formal assessment will count towards your module mark and summative feedback is provided following the submission of your formal submission of work.

Additionally, lecturers will provide informal (formative) interim feedback.

It should be noted that feedback is part of the ongoing learning cycle which is not limited to written feedback.

Other forms of feedback include one-to-one meetings with a tutor, peer-review, a lecturer responding to learner questions or responses during topic or situation discussions.

You will achieve a Higher National Certificate in Building Services Engineering (Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning).

You will be taught by an experienced teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course.

The team could include senior academics and professional practitioners with industry experience.

How will I be taught?

The programme is delivered by experienced practitioners who will be using a wide range of strategies to facilitate your learning.

You will gain a wide range of sector knowledge tied to practical skills gained in research, self-study, directed study and workplace scenarios.

We strongly recommend that you have access to your own IT equipment at home for the course to undertake self-study and assignment work outside of college.

You will have access to our IT labs during the college study day and are welcome to bring your own laptop in if you prefer.

We will offer a free academic software license for Autodesk (12m license) to allow you to download Revit onto your personal computers during the course.

It is recommended that you have access to a windows laptop/PC of medium specification for REVIT installations.

£4,500

School Leaver Course Guide 2025/2026

View or download our course guide for 16-18 year olds.

Gateshead College School Leavers guide for 2025 - 2026