Electro-mechanical technicians design, manufacture, test, and maintain robots and other electronic devices. There are some college and technical-school courses in electro-mechanical technology, and over 15000 technicians earn a good salary in this job.
Training in electro-mechanical technology typically consists of various certificate programs or a 2-year college degree. Schools like the College of DuPage award an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) for those who take a certain number of electro-mechanical or similar engineering technology classes.
While there are certainly hundreds of community colleges, universities, technical schools, and even home study courses that educate future electro-mechanical technicians, it may be wise to select a program accredited by ABET. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology accredits various degree programs in engineering and engineering technology.
As of September 2011, ABET has accredited 11 programs in the United States that award degrees in electromechanical engineering technology. Most of these are in New York or other Northeast states. However, there are also accredited educational and training programs in Ohio, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Attending one of these ABET-accredited electro-mechanical technology degree programs could make the difference in getting a job as an electro-mechanical technician after graduation.
There were 15,970 jobs in this discipline, according to a May 2010 study by the United States Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those technicians earned a median hourly salary of $23.82 and a median yearly salary of $49,550.
Manufacturers of electronic equipment and engineering firms are major employers for electro-mechanical technician jobs. Scientific research and development firms were also big employers for this career. Your school may be able to assist in getting a job after graduation. There are also some employment websites like Simply Hired that list job openings.
Resources:
College of DuPage: Electro-Mechanical Technology Degree Options
ABET Accredited Program Directory Search Page
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Career Information for Electro-Mechanical Technicians