Table 1Transition record

industrial designertodesign engineer

A industrial designer already meets 41% of what the design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From industrial designer

41%

Overlap1

To design engineer

20 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

61.5 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 61.5

This move: 61.5 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the design engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the industrial designer 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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a industrial designer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held adapt to new design materials information skills
already held conduct research on trends in design information skills
already held design management business, administration and law
already held present artistic design proposals communication, collaboration and creativity
already held determine suitability of materials communication, collaboration and creativity
already held build a product's physical model handling and moving

All 20 carried skills, including the 7 the design engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 29 missing skills fall into 9 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 information skills 5 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held interpret technical requirements required
required, not held assess financial viability required
required, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations required
required, not held execute feasibility study required
required, not held perform scientific research required

optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held record test data optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held circular economy required
required, not held technical drawings required

optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional

03 management skills 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held define technical requirements required
required, not held manage engineering project required

optional, not held create technical plans optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional

04 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held project management required

optional, not held product data management optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary

optional, not held design power plant systems optional
optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional

06 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held perform test run optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a design 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 20 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held CAD software knowledge
already held design principles knowledge
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held present artistic design proposals skill
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held adapt to new design materials skill
already held build a product's physical model skill
already held conduct research on trends in design skill
already held create a product's virtual model skill
already held design management knowledge
already held design prototypes skill
already held determine suitability of materials skill
already held draft design specifications skill
already held draw design sketches skill
already held liaise with engineers skill
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held prepare production prototypes skill
already held use CAD software skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held CAE software optional

08 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held nuclear physics optional

09 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held use testing equipment optional

19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held design power plant systems optional
optional, not held keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes optional
optional, not held nuclear physics optional
optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of products optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held create technical plans optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional
optional, not held perform test run optional
optional, not held product data management optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held supervise work on design planning optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

47 held skills the design engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
not needed by the target role build jewellery models skill
not needed by the target role calculate design costs skill
not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
not needed by the target role design package skill
not needed by the target role determine production feasibility skill
not needed by the target role develop jewellery designs skill
not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role monitor production developments skill
not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
not needed by the target role perform market research skill
not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
not needed by the target role perform project management skill
not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
not needed by the target role pneumatics knowledge
not needed by the target role produce sustainable products skill
not needed by the target role prospect new customers skill

7 further entries not listed here

9 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 project management required
required, not held circular economy required
required, not held technical drawings required
optional, not held nuclear physics optional
optional, not held thermohydraulics optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held industrial research and development optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional
optional, not held product data management optional

Index

Other moves recorded from industrial designer

Full index of moves from industrial designer

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.