How long is the Diploma in Automation Engineering?

The Diploma in Automation Engineering runs 9 to 12 months at UK Level 4 and articulates into LSCE Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma routes in automation and control.

How is the Diploma in Automation Engineering delivered?

The Diploma in Automation Engineering is delivered on-campus in central London, fully online with remote PLC simulator access, or by distance learning. Every route joins the same cohort.

Is the Diploma in Automation Engineering UK recognised?

Yes. The Diploma in Automation Engineering is a UK Level 4 qualification aligned with IET, IMechE and InstMC content and recognised for progression purposes.

What are the entry requirements?

Applicants need a relevant Certificate, A-levels, or two years of employment, plus GCSE English and Maths at grade 4, to enrol on the Diploma in Automation Engineering.

What are the fees and funding options?

Fees for the Diploma in Automation Engineering vary by mode. LSCE offers monthly instalments, employer-sponsorship guidance and merit scholarships, with the plan confirmed at enrolment.

Diploma in Automation Engineering | LSCE | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Diploma in Automation Engineering at LSCE is a UK Level 4 practitioner qualification of 9-12 months, taking you from foundational study into applied competence in the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing, energy and process industries. The syllabus is aligned with IET, InstMC and IMechE practitioner frameworks and prepared with the LSCE careers service, so the credential carries recognisable weight with UK employers and articulates cleanly into a Level 5 Advanced Diploma or Higher Diploma with credit transfer at the point of enrolment.

By graduation you will be applying PLC programming environments, SCADA platforms, industrial sensors and drives to defined workplace tasks, producing practitioner-level artefacts and progressing towards an Advanced or Higher Diploma. The assessment blends coursework, applied tasks and a closing capstone graded to Level 4 practitioner standards, so what you submit at the end mirrors what an entry-level UK employer would expect to see in a first three months on the job. Every module maps cleanly onto its equivalent in the Advanced Diploma stage should you choose to continue.

Key Features

Level 4 award aligned with IET and InstMC technician frameworks, so the credential maps cleanly to IET expectations
Applied labs covering PLCs, SCADA and industrial fieldbus systems, supported by weekly tutor sessions on the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing
Structured workshops on process safety and functional safety basics, delivered against employer-facing assessment briefs
Named tutor supervision for the applied automation capstone project, with structured cohort review each intake
Guest content from IET Automation and Control Network members, reinforced by named programme-tutor supervision throughout
Progression pathway into an LSCE Higher Diploma or BEng route, moderated to the appropriate UK level standard
Three delivery modes with matched lab provisioning, drawing on Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) specialist-group input

What You Will Learn

Programme PLCs in ladder logic and structured text within realistic UK sector contexts related to the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing
Configure SCADA screens for supervision and alarming using PLC programming environments and comparable tooling
Wire and commission industrial sensors and actuators against employer-facing assessment briefs
Apply functional safety and IEC 61131 basics in supervised laboratory sessions
Diagnose faults across industrial control loops to a standard suitable for UK employer evidence
Integrate variable speed drives with process equipment with structured written and verbal feedback from a named tutor
Explain digital-twin and Industry 4.0 basics moderated by the programme tutor at each stage
Communicate automation advice to production and operations teams and reviewed inside the closing capstone stage

Who This Course Is For

Certificate holders progressing to a Level 4 automation credential ready to formalise applied evidence in the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing
Working automation trainees formalising technician evidence seeking a UK credential recognised by employers in the sector
Career changers from electrical or mechanical trades moving between adjacent specialisms across engineering and technology
International applicants targeting UK automation entry roles bringing prior evidence for credit-transfer discussion at enrolment
Applicants preparing for an LSCE Higher Diploma or BEng top-up combining sponsored study with employer commitments in the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing

Career Pathways

Automation Technician across UK employers in the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing
Control Systems Technician in London and the wider UK
Instrumentation Technician at senior technician or graduate entry level
PLC Programmer supported by the LSCE careers service contact book
Junior Manufacturing Engineer with structured application coaching in the final stage
Field Service Technician and named alumni introductions

The LSCE careers service supports Level 4 students on the Diploma in Automation Engineering with practitioner CV clinics, employer-facing capstone review panels and named introductions into UK entry and mid-level roles across the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing. Structured mock-interview sessions, an industry-careers day and alumni introductions round out the support offer during the final stage of the programme, and the careers-service working contact book across UK employers means most cohort members leave with at least one meaningful introduction into a recruiting employer in their chosen specialism.

Entry Requirements

A relevant Certificate, A-levels (or equivalent), or two years of relevant employment.
GCSE English at grade 4/C and Mathematics at grade 4/C (or equivalent).
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.0) for non-native English speakers.
One academic or professional reference.
Short statement of intent with a paragraph on career direction.

Why Study at LSCE

LSCE is the specialist computing and engineering division of Harold International College of London. Our small tutor-visible cohorts, alignment with UK professional bodies including IET and InstMC, and central London location put Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the Alan Turing Institute and central London's engineering consultancies within a short tube ride of every classroom. Every intake is small enough that a named programme tutor knows your progress week by week, and every route joins the same cohort with equal timetable, lab and careers-service entitlement, so a distance-learning student is not a second-class member of the intake.

Diploma students at LSCE on the the industrial automation systems used in UK manufacturing specialism join the same intake cohort as senior programmes, with named programme-tutor support and full access to the LSCE careers service. London is the UK's largest engineering-and-technology employment market, and LSCE students routinely attend IET, BCS and IMechE London Region events during their studies. Weekly tutor visibility and cohort review sessions mean the practitioner discipline UK employers expect is embedded from the first module, and articulation into Level 5 study is clearly signposted.

Apply for Diploma in Automation Engineering

Start your Level 4 qualification with LSCE. Click Enrol Now, admissions will respond within one working day with intake dates and credit-transfer guidance. Admissions will confirm intake dates, credit-transfer arrangements, scholarship review and any credential-specific guidance for the Diploma in Automation Engineering within one working day, and international applicants receive dedicated visa, accommodation and English-language guidance alongside the academic decision. Enrol Now