Table 1Transition record

health and safety engineertonuclear engineer

A health and safety engineer already meets 35% of what the nuclear engineer role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.

From health and safety engineer

35%

Overlap1

To nuclear engineer

14 Skills carried over

20 Required, not held

70.6 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

35%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

70.6/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the nuclear engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the health and safety 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.

Why

Why this move works

A nuclear engineer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a health and safety engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
civil engineering
design strategies for nuclear emergencies
engineering principles
engineering processes

What stands in the way is 20 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A nuclear engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a health and safety engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held design strategies for nuclear emergencies management skills
already held respond to nuclear emergencies assisting and caring
already held follow nuclear plant safety precautions assisting and caring
already held test safety strategies information skills
already held thermodynamics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held nuclear energy engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 14 carried skills, including the 12 the nuclear engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 31 missing skills fall into 12 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 6 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held mechanical engineering required
required, not held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
required, not held electric generators required
required, not held mechanics required
required, not held nuclear reprocessing required
required, not held technical drawings required

optional, not held automation technology optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held electricity consumption optional

02 assisting and caring 3 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation required
required, not held ensure compliance with radiation protection regulations required
required, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation required

optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

03 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held calculate exposure to radiation required
required, not held perform risk analysis required

optional, not held monitor radiation levels optional

04 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required

required, not held nuclear physics required
required, not held radioactive contamination required

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held calibrate precision instrument required

optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
optional, not held maintain nuclear reactors optional

06 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held develop radiation protection strategies required

optional, not held develop strategies for electricity contingencies optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a nuclear 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 14 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held civil engineering knowledge
already held design strategies for nuclear emergencies skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held follow nuclear plant safety precautions skill
already held nuclear energy knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held radiation protection knowledge
already held safety engineering knowledge
already held thermodynamics knowledge
already held respond to nuclear emergencies skill
already held test safety strategies skill

The 6 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held nuclear legislation required

08 constructing 1 required

required, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems required

09 education 1 required

required, not held metrology required

10 services 1 required

required, not held contamination exposure regulations required

11 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use technical drawing software required

12 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 supplementary

optional, not held design power plant systems optional
optional, not held design automation components optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional

11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held design power plant systems optional
optional, not held develop strategies for electricity contingencies optional
optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
optional, not held automation technology optional
optional, not held design automation components optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held electricity consumption optional
optional, not held maintain nuclear reactors optional
optional, not held monitor radiation levels optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

48 held skills the nuclear engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
not needed by the target role adhere to OHSAS 18001 skill
not needed by the target role adhere to health well-being and safety skill
not needed by the target role adhere to standards of national and international safety programmes skill
not needed by the target role advise architects skill
not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
not needed by the target role advise on safety improvements skill
not needed by the target role apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
not needed by the target role assess ergonomics of the workplace skill
not needed by the target role assessment of risks and threats knowledge
not needed by the target role carry out environmental audits skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct fire safety inspections skill
not needed by the target role conduct fire tests skill
not needed by the target role conduct workplace audits skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role design safety equipment skill
not needed by the target role determine fire risks skill
not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
not needed by the target role draw up risk assessment skill
not needed by the target role educate employees on occupational hazards skill
not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
not needed by the target role evaluate industrial hygiene skill
not needed by the target role fire prevention procedures knowledge
not needed by the target role fire protection engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
not needed by the target role follow up on safety breaches skill
not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role human factors regarding safety knowledge
not needed by the target role install safety devices skill
not needed by the target role instruct employees on radiation protection skill
not needed by the target role investigate occupational injuries skill
not needed by the target role monitor employee's health skill
not needed by the target role monitor work site skill
not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill

8 further entries not listed here

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 mechanical engineering required
required, not held mining, construction and civil engineering machinery products required
required, not held nuclear legislation required
required, not held nuclear physics required
required, not held radioactive contamination required
required, not held contamination exposure regulations required
required, not held electric generators required
required, not held mechanics required
required, not held metrology required
required, not held nuclear reprocessing required
required, not held technical drawings required
optional, not held automation technology optional
optional, not held electrical power safety regulations optional
optional, not held electricity consumption optional

Index

Other moves recorded from health and safety engineer

Full index of moves from health and safety 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.