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Draftsperson

What is engineering drafting?
What does a draftsperson do?
What work is carried out by a draftsperson?
Is drafting a good career choice?
What employment and career opportunities are available in drafting?
What skills must a draftsperson develop?
What training and qualifications are available for draftspersons?
What if I need more information?
What competencies do I require for this skill?

What is engineering drafting?

Whenever an idea or design needs to be carried out by another person the basic form of communication is by a form of drawing, be it a simple sketch or an advanced computer aided drawing.

What does a draftsperson do?

A draftsperson may work on a drawing of a simple component such as a bath plug or a very complex set of drawings which come together to produce a complete unit such as the many drawings required for, say, a motor car engine with all its associated components. The draftsperson may draw detailed drawings of items or use computer aided drafting for complex design drawings. The draftsperson would carry out calculations if required and would need to follow the drawing through its many stages and discuss all aspects with the people concerned with its production and manufacture.

What work is carried out by a draftsperson?

A draftsperson is a key member of any engineering workshop or manufacturing business. Without their expertise in drawing detailed sketches engineers would have a hard time explaining what they have designed and how they would like to have it produced. Because of this draftspersons are involved in producing :-

detail or design drawings of the item or machine to be manufactured along with calculations and the ability to foresee the end product.
customer discussion of what is required.
costing and sourcing of components used.

Typical work areas:

Engineering manufacture
Steel work fabrication
Air conditioning layout detail
Architectural detail
Concrete detail
Electrical and electronic detail

Is drafting a good career choice?

Yes. Drafting within today's industry allows the draftsperson great deal of self satisfaction in their chosen career, and at present the demand for draftsperson is steady.

What employment and career opportunities are available in drafting?

Typical employment is found within the following areas:

Government Bodies
Council groups
Consulting engineers
Small manufacturing industries
Contract employment groups

In general, career opportunities are positive, with the ability to move in other directions within specialised areas .

What skills must a draftsperson develop?

A draftsperson should have a good understanding of engineering principles within the mechanical field. This understanding should allow the draftsperson to choose the correct type of material for each component, know how it can be manufactured and problems that may be encountered in the manufacture process.

The draftsperson also needs good eye and hand co-ordination along with a ability to take pride in the workmanship.

A draftsperson would also need good communication skills as part of any job in the initial stages is to discuss with the customer the requirements of the job.

What training and qualifications are available for draftspersons?

Persons entering this field may come from the following typical areas:

as an apprentice
a trainee
a full time student
Or as a mature student

Qualifications in this area at present range from Certificate III in Detail Drafting up to the Advanced Diploma in Mechanical Engineering. Detail drafting is linked to all forms of engineering such as electrical, hydraulics and pneumatics etc. To work in the other related areas, the draftsperson would need a basic knowledge of the particular industry and codes for that industry.

Sydney Institute - Drafting & CAD/CAM Section has one of the best training centres in TAFE NSW with a specialist centre for training in AUTOCAD.

What if I need more information?

For further advice related to drafting as a career you could contact:-

Engineering Skills Centre at Sydney Institute, Ultimo (TAFE NSW).
Manufacturing and Engineering Division, TAFE NSW.
ACTU (Australian Council Of Trade Unions).