CAD, drawing and architectural technicians: pay and what the work involves

Occupation 3120 · Associate professional occupations

CAD, drawing and architectural technicians

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

How people enter it

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.

What the work involves

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

Also called

3D Printing Technician · Architect’s assistant · Architectural design assistant · Architectural technician · CAD designer · Cartographer · Design technician · Draughtsman

What it pays

Measure	Hours	Basis	Period	Value	Source
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	45,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	48,300.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	52,800.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	2,200.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	4,500.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	54,900.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)
3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	None	2026-03	2,400.00	ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020)

Every regional figure

ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.

Region	Measure	Hours	Value	Period
East	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	5,200.00	2026-03
East Midlands	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	4,100.00	2026-03
London	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	8,300.00	2026-03
North East	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	900.00	2026-03
North West	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	1,800.00	2026-03
Northern Ireland	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	2,200.00	2026-03
Scotland	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	4,500.00	2026-03
South East	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	6,700.00	2026-03
South West	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	5,600.00	2026-03
Wales	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	2,400.00	2026-03
West Midlands	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	8,200.00	2026-03
Yorkshire and The Humber	3120 : CAD, drawing and architectural technicians	None	5,100.00	2026-03

Common questions

Does pay for cad, drawing and architectural technicians vary by region?

ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 12 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.

Where do these pay figures come from?

The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.