Civil Engineering Technicians
Civil Engineering Technicians
Career Overview
Civil engineering technicians and technologists provide technical support for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of infrastructure and development projects. They work with civil engineers on projects such as roads, bridges, buildings, transportation systems, water and drainage systems, and land development. Their work can include drafting and design, surveying, materials testing, site inspection, project documentation, and using computer-aided design (CAD) and other technical software.
Education
Civil engineering technicians typically complete a one- or two-year college or technical program in civil engineering technology. Civil engineering technologists generally complete a two- or three-year program. Programs commonly include mathematics, surveying, CAD, construction methods, materials, engineering principles, and project documentation. Professional certification may be available or required for some positions, depending on the role and location.
Future Outlook
Demand for civil engineering technicians and technologists is expected to continue as communities require new infrastructure as well as the repair, maintenance, and upgrading of existing roads, bridges, transportation systems, water infrastructure, and other public and private projects. Technology such as CAD and digital design tools is increasing productivity, so strong technical, digital, and problem-solving skills will remain valuable. Current labour-market projections also indicate continued opportunities as experienced workers retire and infrastructure needs evolve.
Work Environment
Civil engineering technicians and technologists work in both offices and field environments. Office work may involve CAD drawings, calculations, technical reports, project documentation, and planning. Fieldwork may involve visiting construction sites, surveying, testing materials, inspecting work, and collecting measurements. They often work as part of teams with civil engineers, surveyors, contractors, construction workers, and other technical profes
Recommended High School Courses
- Physics
- Communication
- Computer-aided Design Competency
- Computer Applications
- Mathematics
- Geography
- Drafting
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
- Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
- Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
- Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
- Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
- Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
- Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- Transportation - Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
- Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Far Vision - The ability to see details at a distance.
- Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
- Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Number Facility - The ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly and correctly.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
- Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
- Inspect facilities or sites to determine if they meet specifications or standards.
- Review technical documents to plan work.
- Create graphical representations of civil structures.
- Test characteristics of materials or structures.
- Estimate operational costs.
- Prepare detailed work plans.
- Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
- Create maps.
- Prepare operational reports.
- Prepare project budgets.
- Survey land or bodies of water to measure or determine features.
- Negotiate prices or other sales terms.
- Confer with other personnel to resolve design or operational problems.
Schools
Angelo State University
Arizona State University
Auburn University
Bluefield State College-...
Boise State University
Bradley University
Cal Poly Pomona
Carnegie Mellon Universit...
Cincinnati State Technica...
Colorado School Of Mines
Columbus State Community...
Dakota County Technical C...
Delaware Technical And Co...
Delaware Technical And Co...
Fairmont State University
Ferris State University
Florida Institute Of Tech...
Fresno City College
Georgia Institute Of Tech...
Lansing Community College
Massachusetts Institute O...
Miami Dade College- Wolfs...
Milwaukee Area Technical...
Montana State University-...
New York University
Northeast Wisconsin Techn...
Northwestern University-...
Pennsylvania State Univer...
Princeton University
Purdue University- Fort W...
Stark State College- Akro...
Suny At Canton
Suny Erie Community Colle...
Suny Hudson Valley Commun...
Suny Mohawk Valley Commun...
Texas A & M University- C...
Tidewater Community Colle...
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of California-...
University Of Illinois At...
University Of Michigan- A...
University Of Texas- Aust...
Wake Technical Community...
Algonquin College
Assiniboine Community...
Boreal College- Sudbur...
Cambrian College
Canadore College- Comm...
Canadore College- Stan...
College Of The North A...
Conestoga College- Cam...
Confederation College
Dawson College
Durham College- Whitby...
Fanshawe College- Lond...
George Brown College-...
Georgian College- Barr...
Humber College- North...
Lakehead University- O...
Loyalist College
Metro College Of Techn...
Mohawk College- Fennel...
Montreal Technical Col...
New Brunswick Communit...
Niagara College- Wella...
Northern Alberta Insti...
Northern College- Moos...
Nova Scotia Community...
Red River College- Not...
Saskatchewan Polytechn...
Sault College
Seneca College- Newnha...
St. Clair College
St. Lawrence College-...
Thompson Rivers Univer...
University Of Toronto-...
Approx Salary Expectation
Low End:
$44,000.00 /yr
Avg/Med:
$64,000.00 /yr
High End:
$98,000.00 /yr
Related Careers
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.
Trend Analysis - Explorer the Market, Labour Market Information, Government of Canada https://www.jobbank.gc.ca/trend-analysis.
O*NET OnLine, National Center for O*NET Development, https://www.onetonline.org/.