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Apprentice Electronic
Communications Technician

Have you ever wondered how your voice can travel from the Yukon to anywhere in the world when you make a long-distance telephone call? Cathie Stewart knows. She is an Apprentice Electronic Communications Technician with Northwestel.

“I work on microwave and satellite long-distance communications equipment which can carry as many as 1,800 to several thousand separate telephone conversations. Many of the people I meet through my job live and work in isolated locations where the telephone system is the only link with the “outside” world. I live in Whitehorse, but I travel by truck, helicopter or plane to Northwestel mountaintop radio sites in the Yukon, Northern B. C., or N. W. T.”

“There is a sense of accomplishment when you solve problems arising from an emergency. If we have a remote mining camp that has lost its communications, we have to pack any necessary test equipment and spares we think we'll need to the site - a real challenge when it's forty below and the snow is waist-deep. Once on site, we stay with the problem until we fix it. It feels great when you solve the problem!”

Cathie worked at a number of jobs before she returned to college to take a two-year Electronic Technician's course. She was hired by NorthWesTel and entered their four-year apprenticeship program. Once she earns her “ticketed” Journey Level certificate, Cathie will be a “certified” technician in her craft and can command a higher union wage.

The schooling is tough, but not impossible. “Grade XII maths and sciences, especially physics, are required,” says Cathie. “I've always enjoyed fixing things as a hobby and learning electronics basics means I can fix my own stereo, home appliances, and Television - the possibilities are endless!”