Electronic Engineering Technician Program Offers Options For Many Students

Did you know that qualified college or university graduates with a background in electronics gain direct admission into semester three of Centennial College’s two-year Electronics Engineering Technician program and receive their diploma in two semesters? However, if students don’t have a university or college diploma, they may still apply as long as they have completed an Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Applicants must also have compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent and Math 11M or U, or 12C or U or skills assessment, or equivalent. However, it should be noted that having these requirements doesn’t guarantee a spot in the program.

Because the Electronics Engineering Technician offering at Centennial College has received national accreditation status by the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board and is certified by the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the technician category, it is respected in the industry.

Aside from reverence because of its accreditations, students who take the Electronics Engineering program are also respected in the field because of the in-depth knowledge they gain of the project design theory and quality assurance issues, as well as technical expertise in an array of electronics engineering areas such as wireless communications, data communications, microcontroller programming and industrial systems. Students also have the opportunity to work with computers, communication transceivers and electronics testing and measurement equipment, while developing a solid foundation in modern electronics.

At the end of the their two years of study, students in the Electronics Engineering Technician training who have a minimum 2.0 GPA can transfer directly into the fifth semester of the technologist program.

Electronics Engineering Technicians can obtain positions in a number of fields, including: telecommunications, computer applications, control systems, radio and television equipment and audio-visual equipment. Those interested in becoming hands-on Electronic Engineering Technicians are responsible for fabricating parts such as coils, terminal boards and chassis, use bench lathes, drills and other machine tools. They may also write computer or microprocessor software programs and test the electronic units that they’re helped to put together. Meanwhile, electronics engineering technicians interested in theory are responsible for researching equipment and component needs, sources, competitive prices, delivery times and ongoing operational costs. In addition, they have the task of writing reports and record data on testing techniques, laboratory equipment and specifications to assist engineers while also maintaining system logs and manuals, reading blueprints, wiring diagrams, schematic drawings and engineering instructions for assembling electronic units. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that jobs in the Electronic Engineering Technician field are expected to grow by five per cent between 2008 and 2018.