Careers

Do you want to be a Marine Aids Service Technician?

Would you like to travel around Newfoundland and Labrador? Are you interested in lightstations, fog horns, and communication towers? Then, we may have the job for you!

What do they do?

Marine aids service technicians with the Canadian Coast Guard install, configure, maintain, and repair electrical, mechanical and electronically-controlled power generation and distribution systems for lightstations, fog horns and communication towers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador.

Some aids to navigation sites are located in remote places and require travel by boat, helicopter,  all-terrain vehicle or snowmobile.

How do I become a Marine Aids Service Technician?

To become a marine aids service technician with the Canadian Coast Guard, you must have an occupational certification in an electrical or mechanical technician discipline. The training program should emphasize installation, troubleshooting, and testing and maintenance of electrical or mechanical systems and equipment.

Strong communication skills are an asset in this field. You will have to communicate to both technical and non-technical audiences through written reports, oral communication and correspondence.

Openings for jobs at the Canadian Coast Guard are advertised through the Public Service Commission (PSC) website at www.jobs.gc.ca.

Spotlight on... Bill Gaulton, Marine Aids Service Technician Technical Services, Canadian Coast Guard

For Bill Gaulton, the best part of his job is the variety of work.

“Every day is different and you are not just sitting in an office. Every day it is a different job, in a different location and sometimes with different people. Throughout my career I have been all over Newfoundland and Labrador, and to get to some locations we have used helicopters, trucks, cars, boats, snowmobiles, and all-terrain vehicles. Whatever type of transportation we need, we will use.”

“Over the years I have had opportunities to apply for supervisory positions, but I am not a person that enjoys a lot of desk work. I really love being out in the field doing hands-on work. I don’t think I would give it up for anything in the world.”

This document is also available for download or viewing as a PDF version (1.4 MB).

Published By:
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Communications Branch
P.O.Box 5667
St. John’s, NL  A1C 5X1

© Her Majesty the Queen in
Right of Canada
DFO/2009-1543
Catalogue Number: Fs154-7/27-2009 
ISBN: 978-0-662-06289-9