Graduates · Ontario · 2021 Census
What can you do with an engineering technology diploma?
What graduates actually work as, from Statistics Canada, beside what Job Bank says about each job: openings, pay, and what it takes.
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What can you do with an engineering technology diploma in Ontario?
In the 2021 Census, the most common jobs among employed Ontarians aged 25 to 34 with a college certificate or diploma in engineering technology were electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians (5.1%), mechanical engineering technologists and technicians (4.8%) and civil engineering technologists and technicians (2.6%). The 12 most common jobs cover only 31.3% of graduates, so engineering technology leads to a wide spread of work rather than one career.
What graduates really do
What jobs do engineering technology graduates in Ontario actually have?
Ontario is published for the engineering technologies and technicians group, so the lead table is Ontario college graduates aged 25 to 34.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 5.1% | 1,800 | Moderate | $34.09/hr |
| Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians | 4.8% | 1,680 | Limited | $38.00/hr |
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | 2.6% | 915 | Moderate | $32.60/hr |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system)Our guide | 2.6% | 905 | Moderate | $34.00/hr |
| Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) | 2.5% | 885 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 2.4% | 860 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Transport truck driversOur guide | 2.2% | 760 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Power engineers and power systems operatorsOur guide | 2% | 715 | Good | $57.00/hr |
| User support techniciansOur guide | 1.9% | 670 | Limited | $33.00/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 1.8% | 630 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
| Computer network and web technicians | 1.7% | 585 | Moderate | $35.71/hr |
| Civil engineersOur guide | 1.7% | 580 | Moderate | $48.08/hr |
How does it look for other groups?
These are different groups of people, shown separately on purpose: a different place, age group or level of education. Do not read them as one comparison.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanicsOur guide | 7.2% | 200 | Good | $37.00/hr |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers | 6.5% | 180 | Moderate | $27.00/hr |
| Underground production and development miners | 6.3% | 175 | Very limited | $39.70/hr |
| Gas fitters | 5.8% | 160 | Moderate | $36.06/hr |
| Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians | 2.7% | 75 | Moderate | $34.09/hr |
| Transport truck driversOur guide | 2.7% | 75 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Heavy equipment operatorsOur guide | 2.2% | 60 | Moderate | $32.00/hr |
| Power engineers and power systems operatorsOur guide | 2.2% | 60 | Good | $57.00/hr |
| Electronic service technicians (household and business equipment) | 1.8% | 50 | Moderate | $26.00/hr |
| Material handlers | 1.8% | 50 | Limited | $21.50/hr |
| Non-destructive testers and inspectors | 1.6% | 45 | Limited | $31.00/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 1.4% | 40 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
Do those jobs have openings?
Which of those jobs are hiring?
1 of the 12 most common jobs have a good or very good Ontario outlook from Job Bank for 2025 to 2027, together covering 2% of these graduates. Outlook is a province-wide forecast of openings against job seekers, not a promise for any one town or employer.
- Power engineers and power systems operators: Job Bank outlook good, 2% of these graduates.
When the degree is not enough
What does the degree not lead to on its own?
An engineering technology diploma or advanced diploma is not an engineering degree and does not make you a professional engineer. Certification as a technician or technologist is a separate step with OACETT, after experience and an exam.
Certification is not required for every technical job, but some employers ask for it, so check the posting.
Routes that need more than the degree
Certify as a C.Tech. or C.E.T.
The Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists says graduates of 2-year programs pursue C.Tech. and those with three or more years pursue C.E.T. It lists at least two years of experience, with six months at technologist level for C.E.T., and passing the Professional Practice Examination. OACETT: Canadian-educated professionalsAdd a college graduate certificate
Ontario Colleges states that graduate certificates require a university degree or a college certificate or diploma for admission, and build on knowledge and experience from earlier postsecondary study. Check each program on ontariocolleges.ca for its own entry requirements. Ontario Colleges: program types
Jobs to look at
Careers worth a closer look
Full guides: what the work is really like, who hates it, what it pays, and the route in.
- Mechanical engineerDesigning, testing and improving machines and the systems around them, and signing your name to the result once licensed.Career guide
- Electrical engineerDesigning and testing the electrical and electronic systems that power, control and connect everything else.Career guide
- Civil engineerDesigning the things everybody uses and nobody thinks about — roads, bridges, water, foundations — and being legally responsible when they fail.Career guide
- MillwrightInstalling, aligning and repairing the heavy machinery inside factories and plants, so the line keeps moving.Career guide
- IT support technicianGetting people's computers, accounts and networks working again, usually while they are in a hurry and a little embarrassed.Career guide
- Construction managerRunning the schedule, budget and people on a building project, and being the one phoned when any of those three goes wrong.Career guide
Read this before you rely on it
What the numbers do not show
- The Census is from 2021. Jobs and hiring have moved since. Job Bank's outlook is current to 2025 to 2027.
- It counts employed people and what they do, not whether they wanted that job or use their degree in it. A graduate working as a retail supervisor is counted in the data exactly like one working in their field.
- It is a 25% sample, and Statistics Canada rounds every count to a multiple of five. Small groups are noisy.
- For Ontario the Census publishes bachelor's degree or higher together, so those tables include master's and doctoral graduates.
- Each person is counted once, by their highest credential. A person who finished a diploma and then a degree appears under the degree, not the diploma.
- The 12 jobs shown are the most common, not all of them. The rest of the graduates are spread across hundreds of other jobs.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, tables 98-10-0447-01; Job Bank (Employment and Social Development Canada) Ontario outlooks and wages, linked on each job. We join them by occupation code and change neither.
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