HNC Job Trends in the South West

Higher National Certificate (HNC)
England > South West

The table below provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies advertised in the South West with a requirement for HNC qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months leading up to 8 September 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.

6 months to
8 Sep 2026
Same period 2025 Same period 2024
Rank 204 149 200
Rank change year-on-year -55 +51 -8
Permanent jobs citing HNC 43 16 31
As % of all permanent jobs in the South West 0.44% 0.47% 0.41%
As % of the Qualifications category 1.81% 1.31% 1.41%
Number of salaries quoted 38 8 11
10th Percentile £33,288 £37,952 £42,500
25th Percentile £42,813 £49,121 £52,550
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £43,250 £52,600 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year -17.78% -4.36% +29.03%
75th Percentile £53,000 - £61,250
90th Percentile £67,875 - -
England median annual salary £43,000 £44,000 £47,683
% change year-on-year -2.27% -7.72% +17.23%

All Academic and Professional Certifications
South West

HNC falls under the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications in the South West.

Permanent vacancies requiring academic qualifications or professional certifications 2,382 1,222 2,197
As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the South West 24.44% 35.52% 29.00%
Number of salaries quoted 1,276 765 1,302
10th Percentile £31,250 £28,500 £30,000
25th Percentile £46,250 £31,750 £42,500
Median annual salary (50th Percentile) £65,000 £50,000 £55,000
Median % change year-on-year +30.00% -9.09% +4.76%
75th Percentile £82,500 £68,750 £70,250
90th Percentile £100,000 £85,000 £87,500
England median annual salary £60,000 £55,000 £55,000
% change year-on-year +9.09% - -8.33%

HNC
Job Vacancy Trend in the South West

Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing HNC relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in the South West.

HNC job vacancy trend in the South West

HNC
Salary Trend in the South West

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing HNC.

Salary distribution trend for jobs in the South West citing HNC

HNC
Salary Histogram in the South West

Salary distribution for jobs citing HNC in the South West over the 6 months to 8 September 2026.

Salary histogram for HNC in the South West

HNC
Job Locations in the South West

The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing HNC within the South West region over the 6 months to 8 September 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.

Location Rank Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Matching
Permanent
IT Job Ads
Median Salary
Past 6 Months
Median Salary
% Change
on Same Period
Last Year
Live
Jobs
Somerset -24 16 £43,000 - 7
Gloucestershire -45 10 £52,750 - 18
Bristol -39 7 £41,000 -22.05% 21
Devon -20 6 £75,000 - 9
Dorset -2 3 £35,000 -6.67% 3
Wiltshire - 1 £50,000 - 4
HNC
England

HNC
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in the South West by Category

The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:

Application Platforms
1 10 (23.26%) SharePoint
2 5 (11.63%) CMS
3 1 (2.33%) FactoryTalk
Applications
1 10 (23.26%) CorelDRAW
2 6 (13.95%) Microsoft Office
3 3 (6.98%) AutoCAD
3 3 (6.98%) Revit
4 1 (2.33%) EPLAN
4 1 (2.33%) SOLIDWORKS
Cloud Services
1 5 (11.63%) Microsoft 365
Communications & Networking
1 3 (6.98%) Wireless
Development Applications
1 2 (4.65%) LabVIEW
General
1 22 (51.16%) Manufacturing
2 16 (37.21%) Finance
3 12 (27.91%) Electronics
3 12 (27.91%) Social Skills
4 9 (20.93%) Analytical Skills
5 6 (13.95%) Organisational Skills
6 5 (11.63%) Documentation Skills
6 5 (11.63%) Retail
7 4 (9.30%) Avionics
7 4 (9.30%) Back Office
7 4 (9.30%) Law
7 4 (9.30%) Military
7 4 (9.30%) Pharmaceutical
7 4 (9.30%) Telecoms
8 3 (6.98%) Aerospace
9 2 (4.65%) Influencing Skills
9 2 (4.65%) Public Sector
10 1 (2.33%) Automotive
10 1 (2.33%) Inclusion and Diversity
Job Titles
1 8 (18.60%) Project Manager
2 5 (11.63%) Author
2 5 (11.63%) Technical Author
2 5 (11.63%) Technical Writer
3 4 (9.30%) Diagnostic Engineer
3 4 (9.30%) Field Engineer
3 4 (9.30%) Field Service Engineer
3 4 (9.30%) Technical Manager
3 4 (9.30%) Technical Project Manager
4 3 (6.98%) Test Engineer
5 2 (4.65%) Development Engineer
5 2 (4.65%) Senior
5 2 (4.65%) Senior Development Engineer
5 2 (4.65%) Senior Test Engineer
5 2 (4.65%) Technical Engineer
5 2 (4.65%) Test Development Engineer
6 1 (2.33%) Control Systems Engineer
6 1 (2.33%) Manufacturing Engineer
6 1 (2.33%) Software Validation Engineer
6 1 (2.33%) Validation Engineer
Libraries, Frameworks & Software Standards
1 5 (11.63%) XML
2 1 (2.33%) STL
Miscellaneous
1 7 (16.28%) Driving Licence
2 4 (9.30%) Data Centre
2 4 (9.30%) NHS
3 2 (4.65%) SCADA
4 1 (2.33%) FMCG
4 1 (2.33%) Life Science
4 1 (2.33%) Robotics
4 1 (2.33%) Self-Motivation
Processes & Methodologies
1 12 (27.91%) Continuous Improvement
2 9 (20.93%) Stakeholder Management
3 7 (16.28%) Problem-Solving
4 6 (13.95%) 3D Modelling
4 6 (13.95%) Technical Leadership
5 5 (11.63%) Content Development
5 5 (11.63%) Content Management
5 5 (11.63%) Project Delivery
6 4 (9.30%) Biomedicine
6 4 (9.30%) CAD
6 4 (9.30%) Chemistry
6 4 (9.30%) Commercial Awareness
6 4 (9.30%) Customer Service
6 4 (9.30%) Facilities Management
6 4 (9.30%) Mechatronics
6 4 (9.30%) Microscopy
6 4 (9.30%) Programme Management
6 4 (9.30%) Resource Management
7 3 (6.98%) Collaborative Working
7 3 (6.98%) Root Cause Analysis
Programming Languages
1 2 (4.65%) C#
1 2 (4.65%) C++
1 2 (4.65%) Python
1 2 (4.65%) SQL
1 2 (4.65%) VB
2 1 (2.33%) Ladder Logic
Qualifications
1 32 (74.42%) HND
2 21 (48.84%) Degree
3 2 (4.65%) City & Guilds
3 2 (4.65%) Master's Degree
3 2 (4.65%) Security Cleared
4 1 (2.33%) BPSS Clearance
4 1 (2.33%) SC Cleared
Quality Assurance & Compliance
1 6 (13.95%) ISO 9001
2 4 (9.30%) NEBOSH
3 1 (2.33%) GMP
System Software
1 1 (2.33%) Firmware
Systems Management
1 2 (4.65%) Functional Safety
Vendors
1 11 (25.58%) Microsoft
2 4 (9.30%) NEC
3 3 (6.98%) Siemens
4 2 (4.65%) Google
4 2 (4.65%) Keysight
4 2 (4.65%) SAP
5 1 (2.33%) Allen-Bradley
5 1 (2.33%) Rockwell