CAD Technician careers guide

CAD stands for computer-aided design. All kinds of engineering careers use CAD software to create 2D or 3D designs for buildings, products, product parts and machinery.

Take on further training at your own pace and you can even use this job as a springboard to a full-blown software or design engineering career!

Is there something you’d like to know about engineering careers? Maybe we can help!

• DID YOU KNOW? You can get into these careers with T Levels!
• What types of engineering are there?
• Engineering jobs you can do without a degree
• How school STEM clubs help you build engineering skills
• See why engineering students are in demand for construction careers!

See more

Useful skills to put in your CV:

• Good problem solving skills and an enquiring mind – think about how you prefer to solve problems. On your own, or in a team? Both approaches can work. You will often need to spot a problem, consider what tools and techniques might help, carry out a plan to fix the problem then test to see if your solution worked.
• Good organisation skills – this will help you with your education and training, and also with helping you to make sure projects are done on time. It will also help you plan how to use software tricks like animation and 3D models to your designs.
• Teamworking skills – you could work as part of a team led by a design engineer. As you progress in your career, you’ll also build leadership and project management skills.
• Good communication skills – you will be able to present your work by email, over the phone, face to face in meetings, and even through presentations.

Top Skills-boosting Tip

Keep exploring software and the digital world. Engineering is using computers and digital technology more and more these days. Your work is partly creative and visual but needs to be very precise and accurate to ensure anything you design is made to the right scale.

How Do You Get These Skills?

Vocational qualifications and work experience will help you build these skills over time.

Build Your Skills With the FREE Young Professional Programme

School, college and training

You can become a CAD technician as a school leaver – and you don’t need A-levels or the equivalent to get started.

You will usually need passing grades of 9-4 (A*-C) in at least four GCSEs or their equivalent including English, maths and a science subject. Other useful subjects include D&T, ICT, computing and engineering.

If you’re planning on becoming a design engineer later down the line, you can go on to take 2 to 3 A-levels in a topic related to science, maths or engineering.

School will give you a good foundation education in the engineering principles you might need to know. It will also help you to apply for further education such as a degree.

The Institution of CAD Technicians has information on courses.

Vocational Qualifications

As an alternative to A-levels, you can study a vocational course like a Tech-level in Engineering. From there, you could think about doing an HNC/HND or foundation degree in one of the following subjects:

• Engineering product design
• Industrial design

The Engineering Council has a list of qualifications and courses.

T-Levels

T-Levels are a choice for learners after GCSEs alongside apprenticeships and A-levels. You can do a T-Level in design and development for engineering and manufacturing. This Level 3 qualification can help you progress into becoming a CAD technician or 3D printing technician.

BTECs

As an alternative to A-Levels, you can do BTECs from the age of 16. The BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Civil Engineering gives you the specialist knowledge and technical skills to progress into, for example, an apprenticeship or employment. One of the things you’ll learn is construction design, which is typically done with CAD software.

Apprenticeships

An apprenticeship is a scheme where you train while earning a starting salary.

With an apprenticeship (or advanced apprenticeship) you’ll have a paid job with an employer that includes structured training and learning. This training leads to an official qualification that’s recognised by employers as an industry standard.

Many engineering apprenticeships provide training in using CAD software. You can apply for specific CAD technician apprenticeships or look for other training opportunities like civil engineering apprenticeships that will expose you to CAD software as part of your training.

You can seek out CAD technician apprenticeships with organisations like Find an Apprenticeship.

University degrees and graduates

If you are planning to go to university, the following foundation degree and degree subjects may be useful to a design engineering career:

• Engineering product design
• Industrial design
• Computer aided CAD designing
• Engineering design and manufacture
• Materials science

UCAS has more information on degree courses and entry requirements.

Some courses include a year in industry – or you could organise your own work placement in a company. You might also be able to join a company’s graduate trainee scheme if you have a degree in a relevant subject.

With experience, you could register with the Engineering Council to get Engineering Technician (EngTech) status giving you more responsibility and higher salary prospects.

You could become a team or section leader, project manager or site manager. With further training, you could become a software or design engineer. You could also be self-employed and take the freelancing route.

Work Experience Tips

It can help you decide if this is the right career for you if you have previously done work experience in an engineering environment, especially if design is involved. Work experience in a digital environment can also help you build useful skills.

Any work experience where you have demonstrated your CAD design software skills or digital/design skills can help your application.

Examples of relevant work experience include:

• Work shadowing (even if it’s just for a day)
• Work placements in a company
• Work experience placements on a college or university course

If you’re a Year 12 student, you can apply for a Nuffield Research Placement. Over 1,000 students a year get the chance to work with scientists, mathematicians and engineers from all kinds of universities and organisations.

Work experience tips

Volunteering Tips

You can build your CAD software design skills for free in your own time, and that could help you get work experience! There are lots of free CAD apps for beginners available. For example, AutoCAD software is easy to learn and will help you get the hang of doing 2D drawings. There are plenty of AutoCAD tutorials online for you to try. AutoDesk’s Fusion 360 software will help you learn 3D modelling and is free for students.

Top free CAD software changes all the time, so do your research and have a go.

If you’re aged 21 or under, you could build experience and skills relevant to design and engineering by becoming an Industrial Cadet. You’ll join other students from local schools to take part in industry based activities with a local employer. Visit industrialcadets.org.uk for more info.

If you’re still at school, one way to expand a range of engineering skills (including design) is to join a school STEM club.

Volunteering tips

In the world of engineering and CAD software, people talk of 3D (creating solid models of what you plan to build) and 2D (surface modelling).

As a CAD technician, you could use CAD software to create and tweaks models of anything from Formula One car engine parts to buildings. It all depends on who you’re working with, and what projects your employer is working on.

Example daily job responsibilities

• Creating 2D or 3D images of products and parts using CAD software
• Working with engineers to design machinery parts
• Helping engineers to decide how much a product will cost to build.

To find jobs for young people in this role, search on jobs boards for early career roles and opportunities with these words in the title:

• CAD technician
• Apprentice CAD technician
• Advanced apprenticeship – design engineering

You can also take a look at our database of local opportunities to see if there are any relevant jobs, work placements, or careers events and workshops to help you get started.

These websites might be able to help you find design engineering experience or a role that’s a good fit for you:

• Find an Apprenticeship
• EngineeringUK
• Tomorrow’s Engineers
• Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET)
• Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Alliance (SEMTA)
• Engineering Council (ECUK)
• Women into Science, Engineering and Construction (WISE)

These employers all carry our Youth Friendly Employer Mark. We work with them to make sure that they are providing great support and opportunities to young people.

Click on an employer to find out more about them and the youth-friendly opportunities they offer, from work experience and apprenticeships through to graduate schemes.