How to become a mechanical engineering technician

Official title: Mechanical engineering technician

Also called: Boiler testing technician, Cargo vessel technician, Gas turbine technician, Lubrication engineering technician, Marine mechanical engineering technician, Mechanical engineering technician (motors and engines), Mechanical equipment technician, Optomechanical technician, Pipe testing technician, Pneumatic systems technician, Sea transport mechanical engineering technician, Submarine mechanical engineering technician

Mechanical engineering technician performs technical tasks, normally under the direction of a mechanical engineer, contributory to design, development, manufacture, construction, installation, efficient operation, maintenance and repair of mechanically functioning plant and equipment. He/she exercises technical supervision and control and guidance to workers engaged in manufacture, installation, repair and maintenance of mechanically functioning plant and equipment and ensures compliance with specifications and safety standards.

Main tasks

• Providing technical assistance in research on and development of machines and mechanical installations, facilities and components, or testing prototypes, excluding transport equipment
• Designing and preparing layouts of machines and mechanical installations, facilities and components according to the specifications given
• Preparing detailed estimates of quantities and costs of materials and labour required for manufacture and installation according to the specifications given
• Monitoring technical aspects of manufacture, utilisation, maintenance and repair of machines and mechanical installations, facilities and components to ensure satisfactory performance and compliance with specifications and regulations
• Assembling and installing new and modified mechanical assemblies, components, machine tools and controls, and hydraulic power systems
• Conducting tests of mechanical systems, collecting and analysing data, and assembling and installing mechanical assemblies in support of mechanical engineers
• Ensuring that mechanical engineering designs and finished work, excluding those related to transport equipment, are within specifications, regulations and contract provisions

Ways in

• Apprenticeship: Work-study diploma. Related ITE work-study diplomas: Work-Study Diploma in Mechanical Systems Engineering. You are employed by a company and study at ITE at the same time. Peernovo matched these from course names.
• Polytechnic or ITE: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec). Related ITE courses: Higher Nitec in Mechanical Engineering. Peernovo matched these from course names; ITE does not publish which jobs each course leads to.; Polytechnic diploma. Related diplomas: Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (Ngee Ann Polytechnic). Peernovo matched these from course names; polytechnics do not publish which jobs each course leads to.

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

• Median pay: $44,976 a year. The middle half earn $36,672 to $52,824 a year.
• Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Related jobs

• Air-conditioning/Refrigeration engineering technician
• Machining/Tooling technician
• Physics technician
• Chemistry technician
• Civil engineering technician
• Building technician

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Questions people ask

How do I become a mechanical engineering technician?

Ways in include: ITE course (Nitec or Higher Nitec); Polytechnic diploma; Work-study diploma.

How much does a mechanical engineering technician earn in Singapore?

Median full-time pay is $44,976 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $36,672 to $52,824.

Will AI change the work of a mechanical engineering technician?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

• Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
• International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026