Index
Intro
Drafting technologists and technicians prepare engineering designs, drawings and related technical information, in multidisciplinary engineering teams or in support of engineers, architects or industrial designers, or they may work independently. 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.
Mobility is possible to civil, mechanical, electrical or other engineering design technologies through educational or work specialization.
Senior and supervisory drafting and design technology workers require experience.
Main Duties
Drafting technologists perform some or all of the following duties:
- Develop and prepare engineering designs and drawings from preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets and other data
- Operate computer-assisted design (CAD) and drafting workstations
- Develop and prepare design sketches
- Complete documentation packages and produce drawing sets
- Check and verify design drawings to conform to specifications and design data
- Write technical reports
- Prepare contracts and tender documents
- Prepare construction specifications, costs and material estimates
- Supervise and train other technologists, technicians and drafters.
Drafting technicians perform some or all of the following duties:
- Develop and prepare engineering drawings, plans, diagrams or layouts from sketches
- Operate computer-assisted drafting equipment or a conventional drafting station.
Employment Requirements
- Completion of secondary school is usually required.
- Completion of a two- to three-year college program in engineering design and drafting technology or in a related field is usually required for drafting and design technologists.
- Completion of a one- to two-year college program in drafting
or
Completion of a three- to four-year apprenticeship program
or
Four to five years of related experience plus completion of college or industry courses in drafting are usually required for drafting technicians. - Trade certification for draftspersons is available, but voluntary in Ontario.
- Certification in engineering design and drafting technology or in a related field through provincial associations of engineering/applied science technologists and technicians may be required by employers.
- A period of supervised work experience, usually two years, is required before certification.
All Titles
- aeronautical draftsperson
- air conditioning systems draftsperson
- architectural draftsperson
- CAD (computer-aided design) specialist – drafting
- CAD (computer-aided design) technologist
- CAD (computer-assisted drafting)
- CAD (computer-assisted drafting) draftsperson – printed circuit boardsCAD (computer-assisted drafting) draftsman – printed circuit boards, CAD (computer-assisted drafting) draftswoman – printed circuit boards
- CAD (computer-assisted drafting) technician
- CAD operator
- checker, drafting
- chief draftsperson
- civil draftsperson
- commercial draftsperson
- computer-aided design (CAD) specialist – drafting
- computer-aided design (CAD) technologist
- computer-aided drafting (CAD) technician
- computer-assisted design and drafting technologist
- computer-assisted drafting (CAD) technician
- computer-assisted electromechanical design draftsperson
- design and drafting technologist
- design checker, drafting
- design draftsperson
- design technician, drafting
- design technologist – drafting
- detail draftsperson
- detailer
- detailer – structural steel drafter
- drafterdraftsman, draftswoman
- drafting checker
- drafting clerk
- drafting supervisor
- drafting technician
- drafting technician, design
- drafting technologist
- drafting tracer
- draftsman/woman
- draftsperson
- draftsperson – computer-assisted designdraftsman – computer-assisted design, draftswoman – computer-assisted design
- draftsperson hull – shipbuilding and repairdraftsman hull – shipbuilding and repair, draftswoman hull – shipbuilding and repair, hull draftsman – shipbuilding and repair, hull draftswoman – shipbuilding and repair
- draftsperson, air conditioning systems
- draftsperson, architectural
- draftsperson, civil
- draftsperson, electrical
- draftsperson, process piping
- draftspersons supervisor
- electrical drafting supervisor
- electrical draftsperson
- electromechanical draftsperson
- electronic draftsperson
- engineering design and drafting technologist
- engineering draftsperson
- general draftsperson
- geological draftsperson
- geophysical draftsperson
- group leader, drafting
- heating and ventilation systems draftsperson
- heating systems draftsperson
- hull draftsperson – shipbuilding and repair
- hydraulic machinery draftsperson
- illustrator, technical – drafting
- marine drafting supervisor
- marine draftsperson, electrical
- mechanical building draftsperson
- mechanical design draftsperson
- mechanical draftsperson
- mine draftsperson
- municipal draftsperson
- optical draftsperson
- petroleum exploration draftsperson
- piping draftsperson
- process piping draftsperson
- refrigeration systems draftsperson
- ship detail draftsperson
- shipbuilding draftsperson
- steel detailer – drafting
- steel frame draftsman/womansteel frame draftsman, steel frame draftswoman
- steel frame draftsperson
- structural draftsperson
- structural steel detailer
- structural steel drafter-detailer
- structural steel draftsperson
- supervisor, drafting
- supervisor, drafting office
- survey draftsperson
- technical illustrator – drafting
- technologist, CAD (computer-aided design)
- technologist, computer-aided design (CAD)
- tool checker – drafting
- tool design draftsperson
- tracer, drafting
Exclusions
- Architectural design technologists (See 2251 Architectural technologists and technicians)
- Civil engineering design technologists (See 2231 Civil engineering technologists and technicians)
- Electrical and electronics engineering design technologists (See 2241 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians)
- Industrial designers (2252)
- Mechanical engineering design technologists (See 2232 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians)