An engineering technician is a

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

trained in

skills A skill is the learned ability to act with determined results with good execution often within a given amount of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills. For example, in the domain of wo ...

and techniques related to a specific branch of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

, with a practical understanding of the relevant engineering concepts. Engineering technicians often assist

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

and engineering technologists in projects relating to

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

, or focus on post-development activities like implementation or operation. An engineering technician is between a skilled craft worker and an engineering technologist. The

Dublin Accord The Dublin Accord is an agreement for the international recognition of ''Engineering Technician'' qualifications. In May 2002, the national engineering organisations of Ireland, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Canada signed an agreement m ...

was signed in 2002 as an international agreement for the recognition of engineering technician qualifications. The Dublin Accord is analogous to the Washington Accord for engineers and the Sydney Accord for engineering technologists.

Nature of work

Engineering technicians help solve technical problems in many ways. They build or set up equipment, conduct experiments, collect data and calculate results. They might also help to make a model of new equipment. Some technicians work in quality control, where they check products, do tests, and collect data. In manufacturing, they help to design and develop products. They also find ways to produce things efficiently. There are multiple fields in this job such as; software design, repair, etc.Engineering Technician
/ref> They may also be people who produce

technical drawings Technical drawing, drafting or drawing, is the act and discipline of composing drawings that visually communicate how something functions or is constructed. Technical drawing is essential for communicating ideas in industry and engineering. ...

engineering drawings An engineering drawing is a type of technical drawing that is used to convey information about an object. A common use is to specify the geometry necessary for the construction of a component and is called a detail drawing. Usually, a number o ...

. Engineering technicians are responsible for using the theories and principles of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

, and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

in order to solve problems and come up with solutions in the research, design, development, manufacturing, sales, construction, inspection, and maintenance of systems and products. Engineering technicians help engineers and scientists in researching and developing, while some other engineering technicians may be responsible for inspections,

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...

, and processes which may include conducting tests and data collection.

Education

Engineering technician diplomas and two-year degrees are generally offered by

technical schools In the United States, a technical school is a type of two-year college that covers specialized fields such as business, finance, hospitality, tourism, construction, engineering, visual arts, information technology and community work. Associa ...

and non-university

higher education institution Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after completi ...

s like colleges of further education, industrial or

vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

s, and

community colleges A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

. Many four-year colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in engineering technology but engineering technologists are somewhat different from engineering technicians. In some countries, there are

polytechnic institute An institute of technology (also referred to as: technological university, technical university, university of technology, technological educational institute, technical college, polytechnic university or just polytechnic) is an institution of te ...

s that award the title without explicitly conferring the degree. In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, the titles pt, engenharia técnica and es, ingeniería técnica (literally 'technical engineering'), are used. Professionals attain the title with the award of a short-cycle three- to four-year undergraduate degree (

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

) in a technical engineering field from colleges or technical engineering institutes (in Portugal), and (in Spain), from universities. Spanish "technical engineers" have full competency in their respective professional fields of engineering, being the difference that the three or four-year Engineers have competence only in their specialty (Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical, etc.) and the "Engineering Superior School" Engineers have wider competences. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the engineering technology accreditation commission (ETAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) grants two-year associate degree programs to students that meet a set of specified standards. These programs include at least a college algebra and trigonometry course and if needed, one or two basic science courses at any accredited school. The number of math and science prerequisite courses depends on the branch of engineering that the student chooses. Engineering technicians apply scientific and engineering skills usually gained in

postsecondary Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

programs below the bachelor's degree level or through short-cycle bachelor's degrees. However, some university institutions award undergraduate degrees in the field of engineering which may confer the title of Engineering technician to the student, who is, however, eligible to become a fully chartered engineer after further studies at the master's degree level. Engineering technicians are called professional engineers in the UK only.

Certification

Even though the term engineering technician is used throughout, it is mindful that these roles are often termed differently within the specific jurisdictions. It also includes roles such as; certified or professional technician, which may also be called engineering associates.

Canada

The individual professional title ''Certified Technician'' and

post-nominal Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

''C.Tech.'' are protected by provincial legislation and can only be used by registrants certified by engineering and applied science member organizations. The nine provincial professional associations are unified federally through

Technology Professionals Canada Technology Professionals Canada (TPC) is an organization in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, that advocates for the profession of technicians and technologists within the provinces of their member organizations. History It was founded in 2010 as ...

, which advocates for the profession within the provincial associations and respective regulatory bodies.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term ''Engineering Technician'' and post-nominal ''EngTech'' are protected in civil law, and can only be used by technicians registered with the

Engineering Council UK The Engineering Council (formerly Engineering Council UK; colloquially known as EngC) is the UK's regulatory authority for registration of Chartered and Incorporated engineers and engineering technician, holding a register of these and providin ...

References

External links

List of tasks and requirements for mechanical engineering technicians

Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) UK

The Engineering Technician Forum on LinkedIn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engineering Technician Engineering occupations Science occupations Technical drawing Technicians Draughtsmen