Electrical Engineering Technician

Job overview
The maintenance of advanced equipment or control systems, assisting in?  ?research projects, complicated designing in the manufacturing field, testing equipment or installed machines.

These are all part of the work of electrical /electronic technicians.

What do people do in this job?
Electrical/electronic engineering technicians are indispensable members of a team, requiring the cooperation of a variety of people, where the design, installation, maintenance and operation of electrical systems are concerned.

They may specialise in one of the following areas:?

• Electrical engineering? (heavy current?)
• This work entails the generation and distribution of electricity for power, heat and light.
• Technicians in this field are mostly concerned with the design, development, installation and testing of electrical motors, generators, alternators, transformers, transmission lines, cables and switchgear.
• Electrical engineering? (light current/electronics?)

Technologists may choose to work in one of the following fields:?

• Industrial instrumentation: Here they are concerned with the design, fault detection and testing of industrial instrumentation used in large manufacturing concerns as well as within the chemical industry.
• Electronics? (communication?)?: Technicians/technologists in this field apply their knowledge in the communications area, for example radio, television, radar and communication between computers.
• Biomedical electronics: In this field they specialise in the design, installation and fault detection of electronic equipment, for example heart-lung machines, EEG and X-ray equipment.
• Micro-electronics Technologists in this field are involved in the design, testing and manufacture of microchips.
• Telecommunications: In this field they use their knowledge in the installation, maintenance and fault detection of telecommunications equipment such as optic cables, microwave techniques, cellular radio, satellite communications, etc.
• Computer systems: In this field they work in a computer environment on the design and manufacture of circuit boards used for interfacing computers to other equipment, the writing of software for controlling computer operations, etc.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Electrical/ electronic engineering technicians should be able to apply their theoretical knowledge practically once they are in the working environment.

They should keep abreast of the latest technology.

Studies require motivation and self-discipline.

What qualifications are needed?
Good school-leaving results in science or technical subjects, together with post-school studies at a technical college specifically designed for training engineering technicians/technologists.