Occupational Profiles

This group performs some or all of the following duties:
 

Telephone installers and repairers

• Install, arrange, remove and maintain telephone equipment, wiring and associated hardware
• Test installed telephone systems to locate transmission faults
• Repair or replace defective and damaged telephones, wire and associated equipment.

Switch network installers and repairers

• Install electromechanical, analog and digital trunking systems, circuits and equipment in telecommunications central offices and switching centres
• Inspect and test trunking systems, circuits and equipment
• Analyze test results and adjust, change or repair switching system, network, associated equipment and software.

Telecommunications service testers

• Operate computerized testing systems to conduct service tests on customer lines and equipment
• Determine the nature, cause and location of service trouble
• Dispatch appropriate repair personnel
• Complete test reports and maintain test and service records
• May assist repair personnel to test lines, circuits and systems, isolate and clear cable faults and verify records.

Telecommunications equipment technicians

• Install, remove and maintain various telecommunications equipment and related systems such as telex and facsimile machines, teletypewriters, mobile radios, cellular telephones, pagers and other telecommunications equipment
• Configure operating systems and install software for access to the Internet
• Inspect and test operation of telecommunications equipment
• Diagnose and locate equipment faults, and adjust, replace or repair telecommunications equipment.

Cable television service technicians

• Communicate with subscribers and company personnel to determine work assignments
• Connect, disconnect and relocate cable outlets, install splitters, converters, decoders, terminals, digital boxes and satellite equipment, and install other cable or wireless modems, routers and software to enable Internet access at subscriber's premises
• Inspect, test and repair cable and satellite television signals and associated equipment at subscriber's premises.

• Completion of secondary school is required.
• Telephone and switch network installers and repairers require completion of an apprenticeship program ranging from three to four years or a combination of over three years work experience in the trade and some high school, college or industry related courses.
• Cable television service technicians require completion of a college program in electronics or a combination of college, correspondence or industry courses related to electronics and electrical systems and on-the-job training or completion of a four-year cable television technician apprenticeship program is required
• Telecommunications equipment technicians usually require completion of a college electrical and electronics program and several months of on-the-job training or completion of a three- or four-year apprenticeship training program.
• Trade certification for communication technicians is available, but voluntary, in Nova Scotia, Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
• Experience as an installer and repairer (telephone and switch network) is usually required for service testers.