Electrical Technician and Technologist

Job Overview

Job Category

Technicians and Technologists

Sectors

Education

Environment

Indoors primarily with occasional outdoors

About This Career

As an Electrical Technician or Technologist, your expertise is needed to ensure that costly interruptions are minimal. In the oil and gas industry, projects requiring electrical work are numerous – pump jacks require electrical motors and plants require generating systems. By building, testing, installing, troubleshooting, repairing and modifying electronic components, equipment and systems, you help keep things running.

Electrical Technicians and Technologists lay out, build, test, install, troubleshoot and repair electronic components, parts, equipment, and systems, such as computer equipment, control instrumentation, and instrumentation panels in the oil and gas industry. They usually work under the direction of engineering staff.

Typical roles in this occupation include:

Electrical Project Technologists coordinate electrical upgrades to facilities, equipment and systems. They oversee the work of electrical engineering and construction contractors by scheduling work, procuring equipment and arranging electrical permits and inspections.
Electrical Design Technologists develop and analyze 2D and 3D computerized drawings based on sketches, notes, mark-ups and specifications provided by engineers, designers and surveyors. They design layouts, schematics, diagrams, schedules and installation details.
Electrical Estimators prepare construction cost estimates for electrical materials, labour and equipment based on design drawings, specifications, bids, quotes and business needs.
Distributed Control Systems (DCS) and Programmable Logic Control (PLC) Programmers program, test and troubleshoot process control equipment and system components. They repair, install, troubleshoot and maintain electronic, electrical, pneumatic and mechanical control systems.

In this occupation activities may include:

Installing electronic, electrical, pneumatic and/or mechanical control systems, devices and ancillary equipment, such as soft start equipment, electrical generators, gas turbine and air compressors, pumps and valves
Identifying opportunities for technical investigations and trials related to new technologies in the areas of instrumentation, industrial process control, automation, remote data acquisition, electrical power and equipment.
Testing incoming electrical, electro-mechanical and electronic components and assemblies to ensure conformance with product specifications and tolerances
Repairing and performing planned maintenance on assigned electronic, electrical, pneumatic and/or mechanical control systems, devices and ancillary equipment, such as soft start equipment, electrical generators, gas turbine and air compressors, pumps, valves, etc.

Education

For Electrical Technicians, a one- or two-year post-secondary diploma in electrical or electronics engineering technology is typically required. For Electrical Technologists, a two- or three-year post-secondary diploma in electrical or electronics engineering technology, computer engineering technology, telecommunications technology or an equivalent discipline is typically required.

Certifications

Standard and emergency first aid
Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
H2S Alive
Specific health and safety certifications will be determined by job requirements

Licensing

Certification in electrical or electronics engineering technology or in a related field is available through provincial associations of engineering/applied science technologists and technicians and may be required by some employers
A period of supervised work experience, usually two years, is required before certification

Plugged in to the world of electronics and computers, you have a high attention to detail and take a methodical approach to analyzing problems and finding solutions.