CAD, drawing and architectural technicians

How to become a cAD, drawing and architectural technician

Official title: CAD, drawing and architectural technicians

Also called: Cad designer, Cad engineer, Cad operator, Bim technician, Cad technician, Drawing checker, Cad coordinator, Cad draughtsman, Design technician, Autocad technician, Cad design engineer, Draughting technician

CAD, drawing and architectural technicians design and prepare technical drawings, plans, maps, charts and similar items and install, operate and maintain 3D printers.

Main tasks

Examines design specification and technical information to determine general requirements
Considers the suitability of different materials with regard to the dimensions and weight and calculates the likely fatigue, stresses, tolerances, bonds and threads
Prepares regulatory and statutory applications
Monitors health and safety in design and contributes to design stage risk assessment
Prepares design drawings, plans or sketches using CAD and traditional methods and checks feasibility of construction and compliance with health and safety regulations
Prepares detailed drawings, plans, charts or maps that include natural features, desired surface finish, elevations, electrical circuitry and other details as required
Arranges for completed drawings to be reproduced for use as working drawings
Installs, maintains and repairs 3D printers and assists in the development of CAM plans and the operation of 3D printers

How to become one

Entrants usually possess GCSEs/S grades, BTEC/ SQA awards or another appropriate certificate/diploma or A levels/H grades. Further training consists of courses of study and supervised practical experience.

Ways in

Apprenticeship (England): Architectural assistant (integrated degree) (level 6). England. Typically 48 months. Skills England standard ST0534.
Apprenticeship (England): Engineering design technician (level 3). England. Typically 42 months. Skills England standard ST0164.
Apprenticeship (England): Town planning assistant (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0936.
University: Science degrees, Offered by 27 universities in the UK
University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

Median full-time pay: £35,221 a year The middle half earn £29,500 to £42,481.
About 77,100 people work in this job now, and about 82,700 are projected by 2035. (+7.3%)

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Questions people ask

How do I become a cAD, drawing and architectural technician?

How much does a cAD, drawing and architectural technician earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £35,221 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £29,500 to £42,481.

Is a cAD, drawing and architectural technician a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 7% by 2035, from about 77,100 to about 82,700 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become a cAD, drawing and architectural technician?

Not always. 59% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher. Ways in include: Science degrees; Computing & IT degrees; Architectural assistant (integrated degree) (level 6).

Sources

Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.