Spring 2006: Needs Assessment Engineering Technician Occupations

Spring 2006: Needs Assessment

Engineering Technician Occupations

Prepared by: Sunnary T. Adeva Date: March 1, 2006 Revised: March 9, 2006 SP06: Engineering Technicians

2 I. Engineering Technician (Civil, Environmental, Industrial Engineering

Technicians):

Background Information:

Civil Engineering Technician:

Civil Engineering Technicians help civil engineers plan and build highways, buildings, bridges, dams, wastewater treatment systems, and other structures, as well as do related research. Some prepare drawings or perform

land-surveying duties. Others may set up and monitor instruments used to study traffic conditions.

Environmental Engineering Technician:

Environmental Engineering Technicians work closely with environmental engineers and scientists in developing methods and devices used in the

prevention, control, or correction of environmental hazards. They inspect and maintain equipment related to air pollution and recycling. Some inspect water and wastewater treatment systems to ensure that pollution control are met.

Industrial Engineering Technician:

Industrial Engineering Technicians study the efficient use of personnel,

materials, and machines in factories, stores, repair shops, and offices. They prepare layouts of machinery and equipment, plan the flow of work, make statistical studies, and analyze production cost.

Mechanical Engineering Technician:

Mechanical Engineering Technicians help engineers design, develop, test, and manufacture industrial machinery, consumer products, and other equipment. They may assist in production tests – for example, by setting up instrumentation for auto crash tests. They make sketches and rough layouts, record and analyze data, make calculations and estimates, and report on their findings. When

planning production, mechanical engineering technicians prepare layouts and drawings of the assembly process and of parts to be manufactured. They estimate labor costs, equipment life, and plant space. Some test and inspect machines and equipment or work with other engineers to eliminate production problems.

3 II. Employment Outlook:

According to the California Labor Market Information Division and the

Employment Development Department architecture and engineering occupations are expected to grow by at least 31 percent by the year 2012 for the

MSA(Metropolitan Statistical Area) of San Bernardino County.1 _{The estimated}

number of workers in architecture and engineering occupations will reach 65,280 within the State of California.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics about 36 percent of all engineering technicians work in manufacturing, mainly in the computer and electronic

equipment, transportation equipment, and machinery manufacturing industries.2

An additional 22 percent work in professional, scientific, and technical service industries, mostly in engineering or business service companies that do

engineering work on contract for government, manufacturing firms, or other organizations.

Table 1: MSA – Riverside & San Bernardino County

Table 2: Comparison of Employment Projections by County

1. _{California Labor Market Information and Employment Development Department.}

2. _{Bureau of Labor Statistics.}

Year Occupation Estimated _Employment Projected _Employment Numeric _Change Percent _Change

Annual Openings Due to Growth Annual Openings Due to Separations Total Annual Openings

2002-2012 Civil Engineering _Technicians 960 1,270 310 32.3 31 20 51

2002-2012 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 940 1,340 400 42.6 40 20 60 2002-2012 Environmental Engineering Technician 240 380 140 58.3 14 5 19 2002-2012 Industrial Engineering Technicians 230 280 50 21.7 5 5 10 2002-2012 Mechanical Engineering Technicians 210 330 120 57.1 12 4 16

County Occupation Estimated _Employment Projected _Employment Numeric _Change Percent _Change

Annual Openings Due to Growth Annual Openings Due to Separations Total Annual Openings San Bernardino Architecture and Engineering Occupations 11,140 14,590 3,450 31.0 345 248 593 Los Angeles Architecture and Engineering Occupations 33,720 38,930 5,210 15.5 521 637 1,158

Orange Architecture and Engineering

Occupations 36,550 42,400 5,850 16.0 585 789 1,374

San Diego Architecture and Engineering

4 Job opportunities will be best for individuals with an associates degree or

extensive job training in engineering technology. As technology becomes more sophisticated, employers will continue to look for technicians who are skilled in new technology and require a minimum of additional job training. An increase in the number of jobs related to public health and safety should create job

opportunities for engineering technicians with the appropriate training and certification.3

Overall employment of engineering technicians is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014. However, competitive pressures will force companies to improve and update manufacturing facilities and product designs, resulting in more jobs for the engineering technicians. In addition to growth, many job openings will stem from the need to replace technicians who retire or leave the labor force.

Because engineering technicians work closely with engineers, employment of engineering technicians is often influenced by the same local and national

economic conditions that affect engineers. As a result, the employment outlook varies with industry and specialization. Growth in the largest specialty–electrical and electronics engineering technicians–is expected to be about as fast as the state average, while employment of environmental engineering technicians is expected to grow faster than the state average to meet the environmental demands of an ever-growing population.4

III. Earning Potential:

Tables 3 and 4 illustrate the current wages for engineering technician

occupations. The highest average salary for engineering technician occupations is in electrical and electronic engineering.

Table 3: San Bernardino MSA – Annual Salaries for Engineering Occupations

SOC Code Year Occupation Mean Salary Entry-Level Salary Experienced Salary

173022 2005 Civil Engineering _Technicians $51,441 $37,016 $58,653 173023 2005 Electrical and Electronic

Engineering $52,558 $39,570 $59,050 173025 2005 Environmental Engineering Technician $38,740 $25,957 $45,132 173026 2005 Industrial Engineering Technician $43,420 $31,167 $49,547 173027 2005 Mechanical Engineering Technician $43,021 $28,722 $50,171

3. _{Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 2006-2007.}

5 Table 4: Hourly Wages for Engineering Occupations

Table 3:

Table 5: Average Salary by Industry

V. Education and Training:

Although it may be possible to qualify for certain engineering technician jobs without formal training, most employers hire someone with at least a 2-year associates degree in engineering technology. Training is available at technical institutes, community colleges, extension divisions of colleges and universities, public and private vocational-technical schools, and the Armed Forces. Persons with college courses in science, engineering, and mathematics may qualify for some positions but may need additional specialized training and experience. Although employers usually do not require engineering technicians to be certified, such certification may provide jobseekers a competitive

advantage.

Most 2-year associates degree programs that are accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and

Technology (ABET) require a minimum of college algebra and trigonometry and one or two basic science courses. Depending on the specialty, more math or science may be required.

County Year Occupation Number _Employed Mean _Wage Entry-Level _Wage Experienced Wages

San Bernardino County 2005 Civil Engineering Technicians 1,060 $24.73 $17.80 $28.20 San Bernardino County 2005 Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technicians 1.080 $25.27 $19.03 $28.39 San Bernardino County 2005 Environmental Engineering Technicians 250 $18.63 $12.48 $21.70 San Bernardino County 2005 Industrial Engineering Technicians 280 $20.87 $14.99 $23.82 San Bernardino County 2005 Mechanical Engineering Technicians 260 $20.69 $13.81 $24.12

Job Title Average Salary

Federal Government $64,160

Wired telecommunications carriers $51,250 Architectural, engineering, and related services $44,800 Navigational, measuring, electro medical, and control

instruments, manufacturing $42,780 Semiconductor and other electronic component

6 Because many engineering technicians assist in design work, creativity is

desirable. Because the workers are part of a team of engineers and other technicians, good communication skills and the ability to work well with others are also important. Engineering technicians usually begin by performing

routine duties under the close supervision of an experienced technician, technologist, engineer, or scientist. As they gain experience, they are given more difficult assignments with only general supervision. Some engineering technicians eventually become supervisors.

Community colleges offer curriculums that are similar to those in technical institutes but include more theory and liberal arts. There may be little or no difference between programs at technical institutes and community colleges, as both offer associate degrees. After completing the 2-year program, some

graduates get jobs as engineering technicians, whereas others continue their education at 4-year colleges.