Table 1Transition record

mechanical engineering draftertoproduct development engineering drafter

A mechanical engineering drafter already meets 59% of what the product development engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From mechanical engineering drafter

59%

Overlap1

To product development engineering drafter

17 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

42.1 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

59%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

42.1/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the product development engineering drafter role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the mechanical engineering drafter 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 11 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineering drafter already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

CAD software
create technical plans
define part requirements
design drawings
manual draughting techniques
mathematics

What stands in the way is 5 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 17 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 mechanical engineering drafter background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held define part requirements information skills
already held use CADD software working with computers
already held manual draughting techniques arts and humanities
already held use manual draughting techniques communication, collaboration and creativity
already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
already held draft design specifications communication, collaboration and creativity

All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the product development engineering drafter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 17 missing skills fall into 7 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 3 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held engineering processes required
required, not held circular economy required
required, not held engineering principles required

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

02 information skills 1 required

required, not held read engineering drawings required

03 management skills 1 required

required, not held provide technical documentation required

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 supplementary

optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
optional, not held draw blueprints optional
optional, not held draw design sketches optional

05 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

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

06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

1 further area 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 17 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held CAD software knowledge
already held create technical plans skill
already held define part requirements skill
already held design drawings knowledge
already held manual draughting techniques knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use CAD software skill
already held use CADD software skill
already held use manual draughting techniques skill
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held 3D modelling knowledge
already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held create a product's virtual model skill
already held draft design specifications skill
already held liaise with engineers skill
already held mechanical engineering knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 handling and moving 1 supplementary

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

12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held design management optional
optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held develop assembly instructions 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

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

Skill Type

not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
not needed by the target role advise client on technical possibilities skill
not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
not needed by the target role maintain mechanical equipment skill
not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
not needed by the target role review drafts skill

11 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 engineering processes required
required, not held circular economy required
required, not held engineering principles required
optional, not held design management 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 mechanical engineering drafter

Full index of moves from mechanical engineering drafter

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.