Electronics Engineering Technicians: Job Role, Career Prospects and Education and Training Requirements

Electronics engineering is an engineering discipline that involves designing, manufacturing, testing, installing, maintaining, troubleshooting and repairing electronic devices, equipment and systems. It is a broad engineering term which can be subdivided into consumer electronics, commercial electronics, digital electronics, analogue electronics and power electronics.

Electronic engineering is closely related to electrical engineering. In fact, the former is considered as a subfield within the latter. As most of the electronics either directly run on power or have some kind of electrical system in place, the two disciplines are inseparable.

What Do Electronic Engineering Technicians Do?

Electronics Engineering Technician are typically engaged in researching, designing, developing, testing, selling and repairing electronic systems, devices and equipments. They possess a solid understanding of various components, such as capacitors, compressors, diodes, resistors, transistors, computers and transceivers.

They also have expertise in industrial systems, microcontrollers, data communications and wireless communications. They generally work in the fields of telecommunications, electronics design and manufacturing, computer applications, control systems, audio-visual equipment, radio and television equipment and consumer electronics.

Their job may require both indoor and outdoor working. Moreover, they also need to travel to clients’ locations depending upon their employment. If they are into sale or service of electronic items, they may need to travel intensively.

Career Opportunities

The job prospects for electronic engineering professionals are bright and are expected to increase further in the coming years. This is due to the constant advancements in the field of electronics. Every other day, a new and more advanced electronic product hits the market. Apart from this, dependence on electronic items in routine life has increased to a great extent. This can be translated into a significant increase in the demand for engineering technicians who can troubleshoot, repair and install electronic items in residential, commercial as well as industrial settings.

The technicians can be employed in various industries, including automotive, power generation, telecoms, retail, defence, aerospace, construction, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, rail and marine.

Education and Training

Electronics engineering is a specialized field and thus, required specialized education, in order to build a career in this field. A post-secondary electronics engineering program will help students in obtaining the knowledge and skills required to seek employment in this industry.

Centennial College’s two-year program covers a wide range of subjects, including electronics shop practices, digital electronics, electric circuits, technical writing, computer hardware and networks, C/C++ programming, ethics in technology and environment, microcontrollers, measurement and instrumentation, electronic communication systems, RF transmission and measurements, data communications and networks and quality control.

The electronics engineering diploma program offers a unique balance of theory and practical. Students receive ample of opportunities to put their classroom learning into practice. The college has a modern, fully-equipped laboratory. Besides this, the graduates may become members of a multidisciplinary group involved in equipment manufacturing or installation, research and testing, equipment maintenance and repair, and sales.

The aim of the program is to provide students with strong engineering fundamentals and practical hands-on training, making them career-ready even before they graduate. Graduates with a minimum 2.0 GPA may be eligible to transfer into the fifth semester of the technologist program.