Occupational information network

2.0 INTRODUCTION

Aim of occupational information network is to equip the learner with a brief range of occupation prevailing in the field of electrical engineering.

It is hoped that this information will make the reader cultivate an interest in studying electrical engineering or related fields as for future occupation or career.

2.1 TYPES OF OCCUPATIONS

The field of electrical engineering may be broken into four major groups:

1.       Power engineering,       

2.       Electrical installations engineering,

3.       Industrial electronics engineering,

4.       Communications electronics engineering.

2.1.1 Power engineering

Is concerned majorly with the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. The main employer in this field is the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd (KETRACO), Kenya Power Lighting Company (KPLC), Rural Electricity Authority (REA), Geothermal Development Company (GDC), Kenya Nuclear Electricity Board (KNEB) (established in 2010) and Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KENGEN) .

Employees in this area deal with equipment handling high voltages and currents. They are usually positioned at the electrical power generating stations and at the sub-stations.

2.1.2 Electrical installations engineering

This area involves the construction of electric power circuits such as the transmission and distribution power lines, wiring factories and buildings, and installing machines and appliances.

People working in this area are either employees of companies or self-employed contractors. Government sectors playing major employments are Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd (KETRACO), Kenya Power Lighting Company (KPLC) and Rural Electricity Authority (REA).

Electrical installations engineering’s operation is strictly regulated by law under the Electric Power Act. Contractors must be licensed to restrict them in their areas of specialisation.

2.1.3 Industrial electronics engineering

It is commonly concerned with the control of machines or operations by use of electricity. The control may be recognized by using electro-mechanical devices, simple electric circuits or by computers depending on the nature of the job.

Working in this region entails handling both the high power and low power circuits practically on every job.

Manufacturing industry like Bidco and Unilever are major employers.

2.1.4 Communications electronics engineering

This field deals with equipment and systems used for passing intelligence or information from one point to next. Communications electronics engineering involves working with telephones, radios, television sets, communication satellites and other signal processing systems.

Generally, the equipment encountered are of low power but the cellphone, radio and TV transmitters are usually high power equipment.

Employers in this area include the Orange Communication Ltd, Telkom, KBC, the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Kenya Institute of Mass and Communication and private companies such as Sanyo, Phillips, Airtel Kenya, Safaricom Kenya and many others. Self-employment is also a popular occupation e.g. servicing cellphones, DVD Players, computers, radios, TVs, etc.