Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineertothermal engineer

A heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer already meets 53% of what the thermal engineer role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer
53%
Overlap1
To thermal engineer
27 Skills carried over
13 Required, not held
57.3 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

53%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

57.3/ 100

1 Share of the thermal engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the heating, ventilation, air conditioning 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 thermal engineer role treats 16 of its required skills as things a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • design an electric heating system
  • design passive energy measures
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes

What stands in the way is 13 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 27 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A thermal engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held assess energy consumption of ventilation systems information skills
  • already held design hot water systems communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held distribution of heating cooling and hot water engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held identify fitted source for heat pumps management skills
  • already held operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held design a solar heating system communication, collaboration and creativity

All 27 carried skills, including the 16 the thermal engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 8 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held design thermal equipment required
  • required, not held provide information on geothermal heat pumps required
  • required, not held design engineering components required
  • required, not held troubleshoot required
  • optional, not held develop product design optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held design firmware optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held heat transfer processes required
  • required, not held thermal materials required
  • required, not held sustainable technologies required
  • optional, not held power engineering optional
03 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held interpret 2D plans required
  • required, not held interpret 3D plans required
  • optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
  • optional, not held report test findings optional
04 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held use thermal analysis required
  • required, not held use thermal management required
  • optional, not held develop software prototype optional
05 management skills 2 required
  • required, not held design thermal requirements required
  • required, not held manage engineering project required
06 assisting and caring 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held follow company standards optional
  • optional, not held oversee quality control optional
  • optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a thermal 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 27 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held design an electric heating system skill
  • already held design passive energy measures skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held fluid mechanics knowledge
  • already held mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held operate solar thermal energy systems for hot water and heating skill
  • already held perform a feasibility study on electric heating skill
  • already held perform a feasibility study on heat pumps skill
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held thermodynamics knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held assess energy consumption of ventilation systems skill
  • already held combined heat and power generation knowledge
  • already held design a solar absorption cooling system skill
  • already held design a solar heating system skill
  • already held design heat pump installations skill
  • already held design hot water systems skill
  • already held design prototypes skill
  • already held distribution of heating cooling and hot water knowledge
  • already held identify fitted source for heat pumps skill
  • already held operate climate control skill
  • already held perform feasibility study on solar heating skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held develop product design optional
  • optional, not held develop software prototype optional
  • optional, not held ensure equipment cooling optional
  • optional, not held perform a feasibility study on combined heat and power optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
  • optional, not held design firmware optional
  • optional, not held follow company standards optional
  • optional, not held oversee quality control optional
  • optional, not held power engineering optional
  • optional, not held report test findings optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional
  • optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
45 held skills the thermal engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise architects skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on fitted ventilation systems skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
  • not needed by the target role assess heating and cooling systems skill
  • not needed by the target role biogas energy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role components of air conditioning systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
  • not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
  • not needed by the target role design a combined heat and power system skill
  • not needed by the target role design district heating and cooling energy systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design geothermal energy systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role design ventilation network skill
  • not needed by the target role determine appropriate heating and cooling system skill
  • not needed by the target role determine internal air quality parameters skill
  • not needed by the target role district heating and cooling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role domestic cooling systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role domestic heating systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
  • not needed by the target role electric heating systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
  • not needed by the target role geothermal energy systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration parts knowledge
  • not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role industrial heating systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role install heating boiler skill
  • not needed by the target role install heating furnace skill
  • not needed by the target role install heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration ducts skill
  • not needed by the target role integrate biogas energy in buildings skill
  • not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
  • not needed by the target role lead a team skill
  • not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on district heating and cooling skill
  • not needed by the target role perform a feasibility study on solar absorption cooling skill
  • not needed by the target role perform test run skill
  • not needed by the target role product data management knowledge

5 further entries not listed here

6 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 heat transfer processes required
  • required, not held thermal materials required
  • required, not held sustainable technologies required
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held computational fluid dynamics optional
  • optional, not held power engineering optional
Index

Other moves recorded from heating, ventilation, air conditioning engineer

Full index of moves from heating, ventilation, air conditioning 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.