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Telecommunications Technical Officer or Technologists carry out specialised design and support functions in telecommunications engineering including optimisation and performance monitoring of telecommunications networks, diagnosis and repair of faults, and the selection and installation of equipment.

• Installs, maintains and diagnoses malfunctions of microwave, telemetry, satellite and other radio and electromagnetic communication systems.

• Configures and integrates networks and technology with computer software, hardware, desktops, peripherals, databases and operating systems.

• Develops and records logs of the details, locations and statuses of inventories, parts, equipment and instruments and maintains the documentation of communication policies, procedures, guidelines and regulations, and quality standards.

• Provides technical advice and information, and monitors the performance of complex networks and equipment.

• Plans the development of customer access network infrastructure.

• Liaise with vendors, suppliers, service providers and external resources and monitors contractual obligations and performance delivery.

• Provides ongoing support in designing, optimising, troubleshooting, diagnosing, repairing and resolving of network performance malfunctions, defects and faults.

The NSC produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Telecommunications Technical Specialists, under the outlook section.

• Around 73% of Telecommunications Technical Officers and Technologists live in capital cities, compared with the all jobs average of 62%.

  Victoria has a large share of employment relative to its population size.

  Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Share of workers across Australian states, territories and regions, in this job compared to the all jobs average.

• The median age of Telecommunications Technical Officers and Technologists is 49 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

  A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

  Females make up 11% of the workforce. This is 37 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

  Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.

A certificate III, IV or diploma in telecommunications technology or another related field is usually needed to work as a Telecommunications Technical Officer or Technologist.

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Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.

Employers look for Telecommunications Technical Specialists who are reliable, work well in a team and have a strong work ethic.

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

• Reading work related information.

• Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

• Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

• Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

• Writing things for co-workers or customers.

• Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

• Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

• Talking to others.

• Judgment and decision making

  Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

• Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

• Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

• Understanding why people react the way they do.

• Teaching people how to do something.

• Looking for ways to help people.

• Management of personnel resources

  Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

• Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect it.

• Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

• Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.

• Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

• Maintaining equipment and deciding what maintenance will be needed in the future.

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

• Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

• Customer and personal service

  Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

• Computers and electronics

  Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

• Administration and management

  Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

• Engineering and technology

  Use engineering, science and technology to design and produce goods and services.

• Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

• Design techniques, tools, and principles used to make detailed technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

• English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

• Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

• Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

• The physical laws of matter, motion and energy, and how they interact through space and time.

• Public safety and security

  Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

• Building and construction

  Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

• How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

• Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

• Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

• Machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

• Personnel and human resources

  Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

• Production and processing

  Raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and ways of making and distributing goods.

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

• Read and understand written information.

• Listen to and understand what people say.

• Communicate by speaking.

• See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

• Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

• Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

• Speak clearly so others can understand you.

• Write in a way that people can understand.

• Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

• Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

• Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

• Come up with different ways of grouping things.

• Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

• Identify and understand the speech of another person.

• Notice differences between colours, including shades of colour and brightness.

• Pay attention to something without being distracted.

• Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

• Add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

• See details that are far away.

• Put together small parts with your fingers.

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

• Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

  Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

• Planning and prioritising work

  Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

• Building good relationships

  Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

• Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

• Coordinating the work of a team

  Getting members of a group to work together to finish a task.

• Communicating with the public

  Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

• Communicating within a team

  Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

• Negotiating and resolving conflicts

  Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

• Making decisions and solving problems

  Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

• Researching and investigating

  Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

• Making sense of information and ideas

  Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

• Collecting and organising information

  Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

• Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

• Documenting or recording information

  Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

• Looking for changes over time

  Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

• Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

• Assessing and evaluating things

  Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

• Checking compliance with standards

  Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

• Leading and encouraging a team

  Encouraging and building trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

• Estimating amounts, costs and resources

  Working out sizes, distances, amounts, time, costs, resources, or materials needed for a task.

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

• Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

• Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

• Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

• Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.

• Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

• Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.

• Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

• Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.

• Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

• Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

• Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

• Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:

• Use electronic mail.

• Talk on the telephone.

• Talk with people face-to-face.

• Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

• Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

• Work with people in a group or team.

• Freedom to make decisions

  Have freedom to make decision on your own.

• Be very exact or highly accurate.

• Write letters and memos.

• Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

• Work to strict deadlines.

• Lead or coordinate a team

  Lead others to do work activities.

• Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

• Take responsibility for the results of other people's work.

• Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

• Work with customers or the public.

• Spend time sitting at work.

• Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

• Health and safety of others

  Take responsibility for the health and safety of others.

• Deal with conflict or disagreements.

The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 15-1143.01 - Telecommunications Engineering Specialists.