Thanks all for your swift replies. I think A-Level is the stuff I'll have missed in Level 6, as level 5 is equivalent to GCSE, so A-level is probably a good starting point. I'll give that a go and see how I get on... I may pop my head into the college and ask one of the the EE lecturers in person too.
That is always the best way to go. Enrolled students can be a good source as well.
It doesn't seem a simple matter to compare the course structure of the UK based systems with those of the US. We simply don't go for the certificates approach. Around here, a modern BSEE program is usually 5 years starting right after high school (the first 12 years). Should the student only complete the first 2 years, there would possibly be an ASEE degree. The ASEE level is essentially for technicians. Most of the advanced electronics theory happens in the last 3 years. The first 2 years or so are devoted to things like General Education (philosophy and other non-engineering topics) and fundamental math (Calc I, Calc II, Differential Equations) plus the entry level electonics classes (DC and AC theory, probably).
The problem with the BSEE is that everybody has one, there is nothing to differentiate job applicants unless their degree is from a higher tier school such as Stanford, MIT or some of the University of California institutions. These days an MSEE is just about entry level.
A BSEE takes about 140+ semester units with most courses being 4 or 5 units. We have two semesters per year so 140/4.5 (avg) takes 31 units per year or about 15 units per semester. That's hard core! Four major subjects plus a lab will give the required 15 units. Each unit is 1 hour of lecture per week for about 15 weeks.
If you only touched on trigonometry, you will be way behind the curve moving forward. Again, around here, trigonometry is covered in High School and reinforced in Pre-Calculus. Note that Pre-Calc is a two semester course (takes a full school year) and is assumed to be mastered BEFORE the 5 year program starts. Either the student covered the material, in depth, in some kind of Advanced Placement program in high school OR they are going to be spending 6 years to get that BSEE. The student can take a placement exam to prove proficiency sufficient to skip Pre-Calc.
It is jokingly said that Calculus is easy, it's the Pre-Calc that will kill you. Well, really, they aren't joking. I never though much of 'partial fraction expansion' until I hit Laplace Transforms. In Algebra, they kind of gloss over it and then beat you over the head with it later on.
Somehow, the entire program ties together. It just takes time and effort. Easy for me to say, I'm retired and kicking back.