Table 1Transition record

application engineertoprocess engineer

A application engineer already meets 57% of what the process engineer role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.

From application engineer

57%

Overlap1

To process engineer

16 Skills carried over

4 Required, not held

43.6 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 43.6

This move: 43.6 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the process engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the application engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A process engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a application engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held define quality standards management skills
already held develop test procedures management skills
already held interpret technical requirements information skills
already held manage engineering project management skills
already held define technical requirements management skills
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 16 carried skills, including the 10 the process engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 19 missing skills fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held production engineering required

optional, not held circular economy optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held troubleshoot required

optional, not held consult with design team optional
optional, not held consult with technical staff optional

03 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held analyse production processes for improvement required

optional, not held assess financial viability optional
optional, not held record test data optional

04 management skills 1 required

required, not held apply advanced manufacturing required

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional

06 handling and moving 2 supplementary

optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a process engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 16 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held define technical requirements skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held interpret technical requirements skill
already held manage engineering project skill
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held project management knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held define quality standards skill
already held develop test procedures skill
already held manage budgets skill
already held perform project management skill
already held read engineering drawings skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional

08 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held automatic control system optional

09 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional

10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held use testing equipment optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held consult with design team optional
optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
optional, not held assess financial viability optional
optional, not held automatic control system optional
optional, not held circular economy optional
optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held consult with technical staff optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

73 held skills the process engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role ABAP knowledge
not needed by the target role Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
not needed by the target role ICT debugging tools knowledge
not needed by the target role Microsoft Visual C++ knowledge
not needed by the target role Perl knowledge
not needed by the target role R knowledge
not needed by the target role SAS language knowledge
not needed by the target role TypeScript knowledge
not needed by the target role VBScript knowledge
not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
not needed by the target role algorithms knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse software specifications skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain strategies skill
not needed by the target role analyse supply chain trends skill
not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
not needed by the target role carry out inventory planning skill
not needed by the target role collect customer feedback on applications skill
not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
not needed by the target role computer science knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct ICT code review skill
not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
not needed by the target role debug software skill
not needed by the target role design user interface skill
not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
not needed by the target role develop software prototype skill
not needed by the target role develop translation memory software skill
not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
not needed by the target role install machinery skill

33 further entries not listed here

5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held production engineering required
optional, not held automatic control system optional
optional, not held circular economy optional
optional, not held environmental engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional

Index

Other moves recorded from application engineer

Full index of moves from application engineer

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.