- Technicians and Technologists
- Chemical Technician and Technologist
- NOC #2211
Chemical Technician and Technologist
As a chemical technician or technologist, you research new products and technologies all with the goal of keeping the energy industry on the leading edge. If you love chemistry, this is for you.
Chemical technicians and technologists help design operations, implement process controls and address equipment corrosion concerns. They also research new products and technologies, as well as environmental and reclamation techniques that help to keep the energy industry on the leading edge.
The typical roles in this occupation include:
- Process control technicians contribute to the design, implementation and improvement of systems required to control temperature, pressure and flow of oil and natural gas during processing.
- Corrosion specialists contribute to the design, implementation and improvement of cathodic protection programs. They investigate corrosion failures and recommend improvements.
- Laboratory technicians and quality control technologists conduct chemical analyses on air, water, soil and oil. They ensure quality control on chemical products used by the industry.
- Chemical specialists research new and improved products and technologies for oil and natural gas recovery, surface separation and production or environmental management.
I'm interested in a career in
- Sub-sector Oil and gas services, Pipelines, Offshore, Oil sands, Exploration and production
- Environment Primarily indoor/office work
- Average Salary $41,000 to $79,000
- Education Post-secondary diploma
- Career Demand Stable
In this occupation activities may include:
- Conducting chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist plant production engineers and process engineers in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids or gaseous materials
- Providing support in the development and implementation of new and improved products and technologies
- Providing technical support or assistance to chemists, engineers or operations personnel
- Preparing chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized or experimental formulas
- Interpreting the results of tests and analyses
- Communicating finds from compilations of data and technical reports
Education
- For chemical technicians, a one- or two-year post-secondary diploma in chemistry, biochemistry, science or environmental engineering technology is typically required. For chemical technologists, a two- or three-year post-secondary diploma in chemistry, biochemistry, science or environmental engineering technology (or a related discipline) is typically required.
Certifications
- Specific health and safety certifications will be determined by job requirements
- Standard and emergency first aid
- H2S Alive®
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily indoor work
- Safety-sensitive environment
Companies need your research skills. You love chemistry, experiments and are analytical and detail-oriented.
- Chemistry
- Critical thinking
- Quality control analysis
- Evaluating systems
- Attention to detail
- Engineering and technology
- Production and processing
- Technology design
- Troubleshooting
- Critical thinking
- Sub-sector Carbon capture, utilization and storage, Emissions reduction, Well site decommissioning
- Environment Primarily indoor/office work
- Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
- Education Post-secondary diploma
- Career Demand Stable
- Skills Upgrading None
-
Direct
The skills gained as a chemical technician and technologist working in oil and natural gas are directly transferable to the emissions reduction and well site decommissioning sub-sectors of cleantech. Workers may find some minor upskilling is required to work in the same role in the CCUS sub-sector. Exposure to laboratory work at an industrial scale may be needed.
In addition to the activities below, other activities in the cleantech sector may include:
- Researching, improving and developing new theories, methods and processes to advance business priorities. (CCUS | emissions reduction)
- Performing a wide range of routine and non-routine laboratory analysis/wet chemistry on process samples including GC, AA, PSD, TSS, Turbidity and Titrations. (CCUS)
- Identifying, investigating and implementing areas for improved procedures and quality control or opportunities for automation. (CCUS | emissions reduction)
- Verifying and adjusting calibrations on a laboratory equipment including Gas Chromatograph, Flame AA, Particle Size Analyzer, Balances, Pipette verifications, Turbidity Meter. (CCUS)
- Preparing manual or computerized calculations worksheets, statistics and other data and material related to the process. (CCUS | emissions reductions | well site decommissioning)
- Utilizing software to convert, transform and integrate spatial and non-spatial data. (well site decommissioning)
In this occupation activities may include:
- Conducting chemical or physical laboratory tests to assist plant production engineers and process engineers in making qualitative or quantitative analyses of solids, liquids or gaseous materials
- Providing support in the development and implementation of new and improved products and technologies
- Providing technical support or assistance to chemists, engineers or operations personnel
- Preparing chemical solutions for products or processes, following standardized or experimental formulas
- Interpreting the results of tests and analyses
- Communicating finds from compilations of data and technical reports
In addition to the requirements below, specific requirements in cleantech may include:
- Knowledge of GIS data standards, projections and coordinate systems, GIS data capture and management, geo-processing and spatial analysis, mapping and working with CAD drawings. (well site decommissioning)
Education
- For chemical technicians, a one- or two-year post-secondary diploma in chemistry, biochemistry, science or environmental engineering technology is typically required. For chemical technologists, a two- or three-year post-secondary diploma in chemistry, biochemistry, science or environmental engineering technology (or a related discipline) is typically required.
Certifications
- Specific health and safety certifications will be determined by job requirements
- Standard and emergency first aid
- H2S Alive®
- Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to cleantech include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours (well site decommissioning)
- Travel required (well site decommissioning)
- Work away from home/in camps (well site decommissioning)
- Primarily outdoor work (well site decommissioning)
- Primarily indoor/office work (CCUS | emissions reduction)
- Physical work (well site decommissioning)
- Less formal organizational structure (well site decommissioning)
- Temporary/project-to-project work (well site decommissioning)
- Freelance/contract opportunities (well site decommissioning)
- Lower-risk tolerant culture (CCUS | emissions reduction | well site decommissioning)
- Safety-sensitive environment (CCUS | emissions reduction | well site decommissioning)
- Transition to a similar level (CCUS | emissions reduction | well site decommissioning)
Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:
- Shiftwork/variable work hours
- Primarily indoor work
- Safety-sensitive environment
Companies need your research skills. You love chemistry, experiments and are analytical and detail-oriented.
- Chemistry
- Critical thinking
- Quality control analysis
- Evaluating systems
- Attention to detail
- Engineering and technology
- Production and processing
- Technology design
- Troubleshooting
- Critical thinking
The cleantech sector is further divided into sub-sectors:
CCUS
- Transferability: Refocus
- Skills upgrade: Minor
Emissions reduction
- Transferability: Direct
- Skills upgrade: None
Well site decommissioning
- Transferability: Direct
- Skills upgrade: None
What does this mean for workers?
Workers will find that the ease of a career change from oil and natural gas into cleantech may vary by sub-sector. There could be differences in the need to upskill, gain knowledge and experience and varying work environments. Further research on the sector or consultation with a career advisor may be required.
