22212 Drafting technologists and technicians

What this occupation covers

Drafting technologists and technicians prepare engineering designs, drawings and related technical information, such as building information models (BIM), 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.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 12 main duties for this code.

• Develop and prepare engineering designs and drawings from preliminary concepts, sketches, engineering calculations, specification sheets and other data
• Create building information models (BIM), using computer software, to provide digital representations of physical and functional aspects of buildings and other engineering projects
• 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.
• Develop and prepare engineering drawings, plans, diagrams or layouts from sketches
• Operate computer-assisted drafting equipment or a conventional drafting station.

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 12 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 22210 Architectural technologists and technicians
• 22300 Civil engineering technologists and technicians
• 22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
• 22211 Industrial designers
• 22301 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

Excluded from this code

• Architectural design technologist (See 22210 Architectural technologists and technicians)
• Civil engineering design technologist (See 22300 Civil engineering technologists and technicians)
• Electrical engineering design technologist (See 22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians)
• Electronics engineering design technologist (See 22310 Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians)
• Industrial designers (See 22211 Industrial designers)
• Mechanical engineering design technologist (See 22301 Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

aeronautical draftsperson · air conditioning systems draftsperson · architectural draftsperson · building information modelling (BIM) coordinator · building information modelling (BIM) designer · building information modelling (BIM) specialist · building information modelling (BIM) technician · building information modelling (BIM) technologist · building systems draftsperson · chief draftsperson · civil draftsperson · commercial draftsperson · computer-aided design (CAD) specialist - drafting · computer-aided design (CAD) technologist · computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) technologist · computer-aided drafting (CAD) technician · computer-assisted design and drafting (CADD) operator · computer-assisted drafting (CAD) draftsperson - printed circuit boards · computer-assisted drafting (CAD) operator · computer-assisted drafting (CAD) technician · computer-assisted electromechanical design draftsperson · design and drafting technologist · design draftsperson · design technician - drafting

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.