Some people love to take motors apart and put them back together. Does that describe you? If so, you might want to consider becoming an electric motor system technician. This career is good for people who enjoy working with their hands and repairing mechanical objects.

Motors are complicated machines, with many different parts that can break or otherwise go wrong. Electric motor system technicians maintain, test, and repair all kinds of electric motors, working mainly in repair shops and manufacturing plants. Knowing about electric parts such as transformers and switchgears is very important. Technicians might work with small motors like the ones in lawn mowers, or they might work on large machines in plants and factories.

Certification requirements for electric motor system technicians depend on the province. However, most employers require a high school graduation and a four-year apprenticeship which includes 1500 hours of on-the-job training mixed with eight-week periods of classroom work each year. Besides their technical skills, electric motor system technicians need to learn how to estimate costs and determine the kind of repairs required for each motor.

People in this trade often work around other people but not necessarily with them. They need to be quite independent and to be able to solve problems that come up. Still, they need to be able to work while other people are talking or making noise nearby. The job is not especially dangerous, but car parts might sometimes fall on workers and injure them, or technicians might cut themselves on metal parts sticking out from the motors. The job can also be very messy because of the oil that keeps the parts of the motor running smoothly.

The best way to prepare for a job as an electric motor system technician is to practice taking motors apart and putting them back together. Shops classes are useful, and mathematics and English courses will help give you the skills necessary to calculate costs and to read more about your trade. Business management classes could also be useful for staring a small company.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic stopped many activities in Canada and around the world, the job prospects for electric motor system technicians were only moderately good. With so many businesses and factories shut down these days, it might take time for jobs to appear again. Still, every machine has a motor that occasionally needs repairs. The skills necessary for this job are also useful for other trades, and people can learn to do other work with only minimal training.

Working as an electric motor system technician can be busy, but with quiet periods in between. Having other options is a good idea, especially in smaller towns where fewer people need this kind of help. In some areas, it might be possible to specialize in a certain kind of motor, although it is usually best to have a wide range of knowledge of the workings of many different types of motors.

Electric motors are a part of everyday life in our society. If you become an electric motor system technician, you will help many people work and move around as they do their daily tasks.

Bibliography:

ALIS. “Electric Motor Systems Technician.” https://alis.alberta.ca/occinfo/occupations-in-alberta/occupation-profiles/electric-motor-systems-technician/.

Government of Manitoba. “Electric Motor System Technician.” https://www.gov.mb.ca/wd/apprenticeship/discover/mbtrades/electmotorsystech.html.

Neuvoo. “Electric Motor System Technician: Salary.” https://neuvoo.ca/salary/?job=electric+motor+systems+technician.

Red Seal. “Electric Motor System Technician.” http://www.red-seal.ca/trades/.2l.2ctr.3c_t.2ch-eng.html.