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The differences between engineering trainees and engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an engineering trainee, becoming an engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an engineering technician has an average salary of $60,273, which is higher than the $60,235 average annual salary of an engineering trainee.
The top three skills for an engineering trainee include fire protection, technical support and R. The most important skills for an engineering technician are technical support, data collection, and test equipment.
| Engineering Trainee | Engineering Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $60,235 | $60,273 |
| Hourly rate | $28.96 | $28.98 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 79,966 | 111,343 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An engineering trainee is responsible for shadowing engineers in their duties and performing administrative tasks as needed. Engineering trainees assist the engineers in inspecting construction sites and conducting field research. They also identify cost-efficient materials and resources that meet quality standards and client specifications. An engineering trainee must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports, attending meetings, and ensuring that all reports are submitted for management's reviews, such as contracts from suppliers and vendors.
An Engineering Technician's duties vary according to the industry or company, whether mechanical, industrial, civil, agricultural, or more. However, most of the time, the responsibilities often revolve around resolving technical issues, working with and assisting Engineers in building, assembling, designing, gathering and testing data, and conducting more manual activities. Furthermore, Engineering Technicians can specialize and work in various fields after a certain training period, closely mentored or monitored by an engineer or someone with extensive expertise.
Engineering trainees and engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Engineering Trainee | Engineering Technician | |
| Average salary | $60,235 | $60,273 |
| Salary range | Between $43,000 And $82,000 | Between $37,000 And $96,000 |
| Highest paying City | Livingston, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | Crown Holdings | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between an engineering trainee and an engineering technician in terms of educational background:
| Engineering Trainee | Engineering Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Purdue University |
Here are the differences between engineering trainees' and engineering technicians' demographics:
| Engineering Trainee | Engineering Technician | |
| Average age | 45 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.0% Female, 20.0% | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 25.1% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 9.2% White, 59.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |