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.

Electronic Engineering Technician Program Offers Transferable Skills

Typically, to work in areas as diverse as telecommunications, computer applications, control systems, radio and television equipment and audio-visual equipment would require attending various programs. However, Centennial College brings all of these worlds together for students of its program that focuses on electronic engineering.

The Electronic Engineering Technician offering trains students to work in these areas completing tasks such as: writing computer or microprocessor software programs; testing electronics units, using standard test equipment, and analyze results to evaluate performance and determine need for adjustment; assembling, testing, and maintaining circuitry or electronic components according to engineering instructions, technical manuals, and knowledge of electronics, using hand and power tools; provide user applications and engineering support and recommendations for new and existing equipment with regard to installation, upgrades and enhancement; design basic circuitry and draft sketches for clarification of details and design documentation under engineers’ direction, using drafting instruments and computer aided design equipment; build prototypes from rough sketches or plans; and much more. Graduates may also become members of a multidisciplinary group involved in equipment manufacturing or installation, research and testing, equipment maintenance and repair, and sales.

“What I really like about the program is that it’s really hands-on,” says student Ali of the Electronics Engineering program. “We get to deal with a lot of different components. We actually build a lot of projects that are related to what we’ll be doing in the future …. We use a Logic Probe all the time and we actually have to design one. So, from scratch we get to build something that we use in our everyday work. Basically we get the whole feel of what’s going on in the industry.”

Ali’s point actually constitutes an important aspect of the offering: practicality. Hands-on components are incorporated into the courses, which students complete in cutting-edge labs at Progress Campus. This location is not only Centennial College’s largest campus but also one of the largest trades training centres in the province. In their courses, students work with computers, communication transceivers and electronics testing and measurement equipment, while developing a solid foundation in modern electronics. Some of the specific topics in which students will gain solid knowledge include: electronics, microcontrollers, control systems, measurement and instrumentation, electronic communications systems, digital electronics, electric circuits, technical report writing, computer hardware and networks and more. 

It is worth noting that qualified college or university graduates with a background in electronics gain direct admission into semester three of this two-year program and receive their Electronics Engineering diploma in two short semesters. Additionally, students with a minimum 2.0 GPA may be eligible to transfer into the fifth semester of the technologist program.

Electronic Engineering Technician Program Offers Students Flexibility Through Options

A wide range of industries — including telecommunications, computer applications, control systems, radio and television equipment and audio-visual equipment — hire professionals to design, install, manufacture, distribute, and service electrical, electronic and telecommunications products. In fact, the Electro-Federation Canada reports that these industries contribute more than $50 billion to Canada’s economy while employing more than 130,000 workers at about 1,400 facilities across the country.

At Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario, students can attend the Electronic Engineering Technician program and develop technical expertise in areas such as wireless communications, data communications, microcontrollers and industrial systems. Specific courses in which students partake include: Electronics Shop Practices, Digital Electronics, Computer Hardware and Networks, Electronics, Technology Math, Measurement and Instrumentation, Control Systems and a range of others.

These topics and courses are presented in a proactive manner with students working with computers, communication transceivers and electronics testing and measurement equipment, while developing a solid foundation in modern electronics. All of the equipment to which students have access is housed in modern labs that mimic a real-world environment. The learning environment is inclusive to ensure that all students are fostering their skills in a way that will benefit them once they graduate.

This Electronics Engineering program — which even has an active student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) — is not only well rounded in terms of its curriculum. It is also rounded in the options it makes available to students. Students with a minimum 2.0 GPA may be eligible to transfer into the fifth semester of the technologist program. Meanwhile, qualified college or university graduates with a background in electronics gain direct admission into semester three of this two-year program and receive their Electronics Engineering Technician diploma in two semesters (program code 3221).

Two accreditations ensure that the program is well respected in the industry and among professionals. The first is from the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB). The Electronics Engineering Technician program has met the national technology requirements established by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT) and, as such, has received this national accreditation status. Secondly, The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT) recognizes the offering as meeting all the academic requirements for certification in the technician category.

Specific companies that have hired students with an Electronics Engineering diploma include: Bell Technical solutions, Celestica, Leitch, Research In Motion (RIM), SMTC Manufacturing, Toronto Hydro and the Toronto Transit Commission. Grads of Centennial College may also become members of a multidisciplinary group involved in equipment manufacturing or installation, research and testing, equipment maintenance and repair, and sales.

Students electrify in exciting engineering program

Fuse your passion in science and math, with a career in engineering. One of the popular fields in engineering to date is in the electronics engineering sector, where various industries foresee an increase in need for electronics, based on their business activities. College graduates can leap into this exciting field by becoming a technician in electronics engineering. Career outlook on this field, according to Service Canada:

Quick entry to the field as a technician for graduates who hold an electronics engineering diploma from a community college.

One third of workers will be employed in the manufacturing industry; then computer and electronic product manufacturing; professional, scientific and technical services; and electric power generation, transmission and distribution. Other areas of employment involves wholesale trade, public administration, and architectural services.

A noteworthy program for its excellence in teaching standards and remarkable curriculum is the  Electronics Engineering Technician (3205) from the School of Engineering Technology and Applied Science at Centennial College. The program will prepare a future electronics engineering technician in designing and implementing ideas as well as analyzing results in the field. Here are some key learning outcomes of the program:

To work with digital circuits through classroom theory and lab exercises using Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs). Then, students will learn about sequential logic, programmable logic architectures and semiconductor memory circuits.

Skills and knowledge in working with electric circuits, specifically with D.C. (direct current) and A.C. (alternate current) series and parallel resistive circuits. The lab component will give students hands-on experience in building alternating current circuits, using the following industry-accepted utensils: signal generators, capacitance, inductance, resistance, oscilloscope, digital multi-meter and volt-ohm meter.

Basics of computer hardware, configuring a Pentium 4-class “sandbox” computer and a general scope on local area networks (LANs)

Ability to comprehend technical data and to communicate results through reports and presentations, using a suite of computer applications

Using C++ programs, students will code and debug programs and apply the skills to analyze, design, and write codes for a case study.

Develop skills in operating the hardware and software components of a microcontroller in which the Motorola MC68HC11 will be experimented on during the lab portion of the class. Students will also learn about the programmable logic controller (PLC) and enable them to work on assignments on a real-time clock circuit, automatic conveyor-line circuit, and robotic arm circuit design.

Examine the electrical systems in communications with topics on signal and noise, AM and FM modulation, transmitters and receivers, radio-wave propagation, and antennas.

Maintain ethical business practices and learn the basic rudiments in electronic project management and quality control.

Graduates of this program can expect to work in different fields such as telecommunications, film and broadcasting, transportation, and technology. Companies who have hired Centennial College graduates includes: Celestica, Toronto Hydro, TTC, Bell Technical solutions, and Research in Motion. The combination of theory and practical lab components will ensure students of the electronics engineering program will hold the skills and experience in dealing with various electric components. This program is approved by the Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT) and the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB).