The electromechanical technician is the professional who keeps a plant running. This trade combines electricity, mechanics and automation to maintain, repair and install industrial equipment. In Quebec, demand for this trade is rated «excellent» for the 2024-2028 period by the provincial government,driven by growing automation in manufacturing plants. Whether this profession interests you, or you simply want to understand what the team servicing your equipment actually does, here is a complete overview of the trade, the required training and the salary conditions.
The essentials
- The electromechanical technician trade combines electricity, mechanics and automation, unlike the industrial electrician, who focuses solely on the electrical side
- The base-level training in Quebec is the DEP in Automated Systems Electromechanics, offered over approximately two years full-time
- The median hourly wage is $30.00 in Quebec, ranging from $23.00 to $37.50 depending on experience
- Qualified electromechanical technicians can obtain the Red Seal endorsement, recognized in every Canadian province and territory.
What is an electromechanical technician?
An electromechanical technician analyzes, maintains and repairs systems and devices that combine electrical and mechanical components. Their work covers cleaning, isolating electrical circuits, greasing bearings, and adjusting or replacing faulty mechanical parts.
Concretely, their main tasks include:
- Observing electromechanical components and systems to locate faults
- Replacing or refurbishing worn components
- Welding and brazing electrical connections
- Performing machining work to refurbish or modify parts
- Testing repaired devices to confirm their performance
They also work on new projects, testing, assembling and installing new automated systems before they are put into service.
Electromechanical technician, industrial electrician, industrial mechanic: what are the differences?
Confusion among these three trades is common, even though they meet distinct needs in the shop. The electromechanical technician is the only one of the three who works on both the electrical and mechanical sides of the same piece of equipment, making them a versatile profile rather than a specialist in a single area.
The industrial electrician focuses on electrical installations, wiring and power distribution in an industrial setting. Industrial mechanics, for their part, covers the maintenance, modification and refurbishment of machines of all makes, with more of a mechanical than electrical focus. The electromechanical technician sits between the two: they diagnose a fault without knowing in advance whether the cause is electrical, mechanical, or both, and they work on the whole system.
This versatility explains why a company with expertise in both industrial mechanics and electromechanics can cover a wider range of breakdowns than a shop specialized in a single trade.
How to become an electromechanical technician in Quebec
The most direct path into the trade is vocational training, with two main diplomas recognized by the Quebec government and the possibility of interprovincial certification once employed.
The DEP in Automated Systems Electromechanics
The Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) in Automated Systems Electromechanics, code 5281, is the reference training for entering the trade. It is generally offered over about two years full-time and has a graduate placement rate of 82.4%, according to data from Quebec’s Ministère de l’Éducation. The program covers workplace health and safety, checking electrical circuits, manual machining work, and cutting and welding techniques.
The AEC in Maintenance, Automation and Control
The Attestation d’études collégiales (AEC) in Maintenance, Automation and Control is aimed at those seeking a more advanced specialization in industrial automation, with easier access to more advanced technical positions.
The Red Seal qualification certificate
Once employed, a qualified electromechanical technician can write the interprovincial Red Seal exam. The Red Seal endorsement confirms that their skills meet a standard recognized across all participating provinces and territories, greatly facilitating labour mobility across Canada. This certificate is issued after passing the exam, based on a professional qualification certificate obtained through Emploi-Québec.
What is the salary of an electromechanical technician in Quebec?
The median hourly wage for an electromechanical technician in Quebec is $30.00, with a minimum of $23.00 and a maximum of $37.50, based on average salaries observed from 2022 to 2024 by the Quebec government. This range varies depending on the industry, the region and, above all, the level of experience: an entry-level electromechanical technician generally falls in the lower part of the range, while an experienced technician skilled in PLC programming and predictive maintenance moves toward the upper end of the scale.
Job prospects for the 2024-2028 period are rated «excellent» by the Quebec government, particularly in the food and beverage sector, which accounts for 17% of jobs in the trade.
Which sectors hire electromechanical technicians?
Electromechanical technicians are in high demand across several Quebec industrial sectors:
- Food, beverage and tobacco manufacturing
- Wholesale trade and industrial distribution
- Manufacturing of industrial machinery and equipment
- Plastic and rubber products
- Companies specializing in industrial maintenance and upkeep
This sectoral diversity partly explains the stability of demand for this trade, which is not heavily dependent on a single economic sector.
Electromechanical expertise built since 1999
At HARtech, electromechanics is not a standalone service. It is integrated into a turnkey approach that also covers industrial machining, industrial mechanics and welding. This multidisciplinary approach reflects the reality of the trade on the ground: a breakdown is rarely purely electrical or purely mechanical, which is why our teams are trained to work on both sides of the same piece of equipment rather than just one.
Based in Saint-Laurent for more than 25 years, our team serves the entire Greater Montreal area and surrounding territories, with a constant commitment to meeting announced deadlines, a key concern for any industrial business facing a production shutdown.
FAQ - The Electromechanic Profession
The electromechanical technician works on both the electrical and mechanical sides of a piece of equipment, while the industrial electrician focuses primarily on electrical installations and power distribution. The two trades sometimes overlap in the field, but their formal areas of expertise remain distinct.
The DEP in Automated Systems Electromechanics is generally offered over about two years full-time. An AEC in Maintenance, Automation and Control is another path, which focuses more heavily on industrial automation.
According to Quebec government data, the hourly wage ranges from $23.00 to $37.50, with a median of $30.00. An entry-level technician generally falls in the lower part of this range, before progressing with experience.
Yes. Lockout is a regulatory requirement in Quebec for any work performed in the danger zone of a machine, including maintenance and repair, under the Règlement sur la santé et la sécurité du travail. It is a legal obligation, not simply a voluntary practice.
Yes. The Quebec government rates job prospects for 2024-2028 as «excellent» for this profession, in a context of growing automation of industrial equipment.
A Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) process allows, in certain cases, for the DEP in Automated Systems Electromechanics to be obtained on the basis of work experience rather than full initial training, according to the criteria set by Qualifications Québec.
Interested in working as an electromechanical technician at HARtech?
Many opportunities are available to those who choose the electromechanical path, and our team has worked on projects of various sizes and industries for more than 25 years in Saint-Laurent. If the trade interests you, apply through our application form. If instead you need a qualified electromechanical technician to service your equipment, contact our team.
