How to become a Business Equipment Technician

Business Equipment Technician

Business equipment technicians install, commission, maintain, repair and service computers, document centres, fax machines, photocopiers, cash registers and other electronic commercial and office machines. They may also undertake networking of devices.

Personal requirements for a Business Equipment Technician

  • Enjoy working with electrical, electronic and mechanical systems
  • Enjoy solving practical problems
  • Good hand-eye coordination
  • Good eyesight (may be corrected) and normal colour vision
  • Good communication skills
  • Enjoy customer service
  • Enjoy working with computers
  • Attention to detail

Education & Training for a Business Equipment Technician

To become a business equipment technician you usually have to complete an apprenticeship or traineeship. Entry requirements may vary, but employers generally require Year 10.


Duties & Tasks of a Business Equipment Technician

Business equipment technicians:

  • Carry out regular inspections and maintenance of machines to prevent breakdowns
  • Refer to manufacturers' service manuals
  • Talk to machine operators to assess faults
  • Find faults in electrical and electronic machines by using special instruments such as voltmeters, resistance meters and oscilloscopes, and repair or replace faulty parts or wiring
  • Reassemble equipment and test it to determine whether it is working properly
  • Advise users of correct operating methods to prevent breakdowns
  • Keep accurate records and documentation as required.

Tasks

  • Examining and testing machines, equipment, instruments and control systems to diagnose faults
  • Adjusting, repairing, and replacing worn and defective parts and wiring, and maintaining machines, equipment and instruments
  • Monitoring radio traffic, and transmitting and receiving voice messages
  • Advising users of correct operating procedures to prevent malfunctions
  • Applying knowledge of electrical, electronic, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic principles in commissioning and maintaining control systems
  • Installing electronic instruments and control systems
  • Reassembling, test operating and adjusting equipment
  • Receiving messages by interpreting code and converting to plain language, and writing and typing messages for transmission

Working conditions for a Business Equipment Technician

Business equipment technicians work in repair workshops or travel to clients' offices. They may need to lift heavy equipment.


Employment Opportunities for a Business Equipment Technician

Business equipment technicians work for business machine and equipment manufacturing, sales, hire or service firms. They may also work for independent providers of machine maintenance service. Depending on the employing company, business equipment technicians may also enter into electronics work or other mechanical servicing occupations. They may also move to the sales side of a business machine company. Promotion to service management and training is possible, and technicians may transfer to computer servicing.


Specializations

Computer Hardware Service Technician

A computer hardware service technician installs, maintains, adjusts and repairs computer hardware and related equipment, such as disk drives, printers, visual display units, CD-ROMs, DVD drives and interfacing equipment.

Business Equipment Technician

Business equipment technicians install, commission, maintain, repair and service computers, document centres, fax machines, photocopiers, cash registers and other electronic commercial and office machines. They may also undertake networking of devices.

  • Average age
    Average age
    48
  • Future Growth
    Future Growth
    N/A
  • Gender Share
    Gender Share
    3% female
  • Average full-time
    Average full-time
    39 hours
  • Weekly Pay
    Weekly Pay
    N/A
  • Skill level rating
    Skill level rating
    Medium skill
  • Unemployment
    Unemployment
    Average unemployment
  • Full-Time Share
    Full-Time Share
    84%
  • Employment Size
    Employment Size
    2,000
  • Employment Size
    Employment by state
    ACT: 2.2%
    NSW: 32.2%
    NT: 1.7%
    QLD: 21.0%
    SA: 6.0%
    TAS: 1.5%
    VIC: 24.4%
    WA: 11.1%
  • Employment Size
    Age brackets
    15-19: 2.5%
    20-24: 10.2%
    25-34: 26.2%
    35-44: 22.6%
    45-54: 21.1%
    55-59: 8.6%
    60-64: 5.6%
    65 and Over: 3.1%
  • Employment Size
    Education level
    Advanced Diploma/Diploma: 16.8%
    Bachelor degree: 12.2%
    Below Year 10: 0%
    Certificate III/IV: 38%
    Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate: 3%
    Year 10 and below: 6.6%
    Year 11: 3.7%
    Year 12: 19.6%
    Years 11 & 10: 16.3%
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