Table 1Transition record

engineering assistanttoproduct development engineering drafter

A engineering assistant already meets 24% of what the product development engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

From engineering assistant

24%

Overlap1

To product development engineering drafter

6 Skills carried over

11 Required, not held

71.3 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

24%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

71.3/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the product development engineering drafter role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the engineering assistant 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.

Why

Why this move works

A product development engineering drafter role treats 5 of its required skills as things a engineering assistant already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

create technical plans
engineering principles
engineering processes
mathematics
technical drawings

What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A product development engineering drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a engineering assistant background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held create technical plans management skills
already held liaise with engineers communication, collaboration and creativity
already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held engineering processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held mathematics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held engineering principles engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the product development engineering drafter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 28 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 working with computers 3 required

required, not held use CAD software required
required, not held use CADD software required
required, not held use technical drawing software required

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held circular economy required
required, not held design drawings required

optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional

03 information skills 2 required

required, not held define part requirements required
required, not held read engineering drawings required

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held use manual draughting techniques required

optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held draw blueprints optional
optional, not held draw design sketches optional

05 arts and humanities 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held manual draughting techniques required

optional, not held design principles optional

06 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required

required, not held CAD software required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a product development engineering drafter 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 6 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held create technical plans skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held liaise with engineers skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 management skills 1 required

required, not held provide technical documentation required

08 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held product data management optional

09 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held build a product's physical model optional

10 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held 3D modelling optional

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held 3D modelling optional
optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held draw blueprints optional
optional, not held draw design sketches optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held product data management optional

22 held skills the product development engineering drafter role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
not needed by the target role consult with industry professionals skill
not needed by the target role deliver visual presentation of data skill
not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
not needed by the target role file documents skill
not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
not needed by the target role gather experimental data skill
not needed by the target role handle mail skill
not needed by the target role liaise with industrial professionals skill
not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
not needed by the target role perform office routine activities skill
not needed by the target role plan engineering activities skill
not needed by the target role prepare scientific reports skill
not needed by the target role project management knowledge
not needed by the target role proofread text skill
not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
not needed by the target role write manuals skill

14 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 CAD software required
required, not held circular economy required
required, not held design drawings required
required, not held manual draughting techniques required
optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held 3D modelling optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held industrial engineering optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held product data management optional

Index

Other moves recorded from engineering assistant

Full index of moves from engineering assistant

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.