Job Seekers
Allows you to browse occupations and explore different career types in a variety of ways.
View listings of current job openings in Saskatchewan.
provide quick summary for each of the occupations profiled on Saskatchewan Job Futures.
This is the most comprehensive source for Saskatchewan wage data on the Net. Select an occupation, and find out what people earn for the work they do.
Drafting Technologists and Technicians (NOC 2253)
Nature of Work
Drafting technicians and technologists prepare engineering designs, drawings and related technical information. They work independently, in multi-disciplinary engineering teams or in support of engineers, architects or industrial designers. They are employed by consulting and construction companies, utility, resource and manufacturing companies, all levels of government and by a wide range of other establishments.
Nature of Work
Drafting technicians and technologists prepare engineering designs, drawings and related technical information. They work independently, in multi-disciplinary engineering teams or in support of engineers, architects or industrial designers. They are employed by consulting and construction companies, utility, resource and manufacturing companies, all levels of government and by a wide range of other establishments.
Duties
Drafting technologists develop and prepare engineering designs and drawing from preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets and other data. They may also operate computer-aided design and drafting stations, develop and prepare design sketches, complete documentation packages, and produce drawing sets. Drafting technologists may also be responsible for checking and verifying that design drawings conform to specifications. Other duties include designing data, writing technical reports, preparing contracts and tender documents, and preparing construction specifications, costs and material estimates. Some in this field also supervise and train other technologists, technicians and drafters.
Drafting technicians develop and prepare engineering drawings, plans, diagrams or layouts from sketches. They operate computer aided drafting equipment and/or a conventional drafting station and may also examine drawings to check for errors.
Example Titles
- drafting technician
- electro-mechanical draftsperson
- architectural draftsperson
- electrical draftsperson
- electronic draftsperson
- mechanical draftsperson
- structural draftsperson
- supervisor, drafting office
- technical illustrator
- drafting technologist
- design and drafting technologist
- computer aided design and drafting technologist
- computer aided drafting technician
- draftsperson
- engineering design and drafting technologist
Training Paths
SIAST offers diploma programs in CAD/CAM Engineering, Geomatics Technology and Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD). Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Water Resource Engineering are other technology programs at SIAST that provide drafting instruction. Many of these programs are also available through the regional colleges.
Trends and Outlooks
The employment prospects for this occupation are: good
The number of drafting technologists and technicians remained virtually unchanged in Saskatchewan between 2000 and 2005. This means that there was very little new job growth during that period. Nevertheless, this is a fairly large occupation in the province, with more than 700 employed in 2006. Even in periods of limited growth, drafting technologists and technicians can expect some employment opportunities to arise from attrition, that is retirement or other turnover in the provincial work force. Most of these opportunities will be in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Services and Trade industries.
Drafting technologists and technicians in this group are fairly well paid in Saskatchewan. In 2005, the average full-time income in this field of work was $45,500 per year. This is well above the provincial full-time average for all occupations that year ($42,300 per year). The range of incomes in this field is quite wide. In 2005, employed drafting technologists and technicians in the province earned as much as $66,700 and as little as $28,000. Incomes in this group are generally higher in and around Regina and Saskatoon than elsewhere in the province.
In 2005, 71% of all drafting technologists and technicians in the province worked full time. This remained steady from 2000. In 2006, 30% of the provincial work force in this field was female , a slight increase from 2001. While not unheard of, self-employment is rare in these fields. Over 75% of all professionals in this group were employed in or around Saskatoon and Regina in 2006. This is a fairly young work force. Just over 25% of all drafting technologists and technicians in Saskatchewan were 45 years of age or older in 2006.
Like most occupations in Saskatchewan in the last decade, drafting technologists and technicians have become increasingly computerized. It is crucial that technicians and technologists in this field keep abreast of developments within their area of expertise. A career in drafting may involve periods of retraining and professional development. Technicians and technologists who continually upgrade their skills have an advantage over others seeking employment in this field.
Professional Associations
Related Occupations
- Industrial Designers (2252)
- Architectural design technologists (in 2251 Architectural Technologists and Technicians)
- Civil engineering design technologists (in 2231 Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians)
- Electrical and electronics engineering design technologists (in 2241 Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians)
- Mechanical engineering design technologists (in 2232 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians)
Main Industries of Employment
Average Earnings
Self Employment
Percentage of Workers Employed Full-Time
Where They Work
Aboriginal Identification
Send to a Friend
