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

ordinary seamantoship assistant engineer

A ordinary seaman already meets 22% of what the ship assistant engineer role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.

From ordinary seaman
22%
Overlap1
To ship assistant engineer
7 Skills carried over
20 Required, not held
80.4 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

22%

Learning distance A rebuild

80.4/ 100

1 Share of the ship assistant engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the ordinary seaman 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 ship assistant engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a ordinary seaman already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
  • maintain vessel engine room
  • moor vessels
  • unmoor vessels
  • use different types of fire extinguishers
  • use maritime English

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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A ship assistant engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a ordinary seaman background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held maintain vessel engine room constructing
  • already held moor vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held unmoor vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held use different types of fire extinguishers assisting and caring
  • already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services
  • already held use maritime English communication, collaboration and creativity

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the ship assistant engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 26 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 working with machinery and specialised equipment 10 required
  • required, not held manage on-board water systems required
  • required, not held manage ship electrical systems required
  • required, not held manage vessel engines and systems required
  • required, not held operate diesel propulsion plants required
  • required, not held operate sewage treatment plans on ships required
  • required, not held operate vessel engine room required
  • required, not held prepare engine room for operation required
  • required, not held prepare lifeboats required
  • required, not held repair vessel mechanical systems required
  • required, not held provide support in vessel machinery systems required
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 5 required
  • required, not held regulation on the discharge of raw materials into the sea required
  • required, not held electrical systems used in transportation required
  • required, not held operation of different engines required
  • required, not held engine components required
  • required, not held principles of mechanical engineering required
03 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held perform routine lube oil tests required
  • required, not held maintain vessel inventory required
  • optional, not held stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology optional
04 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held operate fire extinguishers required
  • optional, not held apply vessel engine regulations optional
05 constructing 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held perform routine maintenance of ship engines required
  • optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
06 handling and moving 1 required
  • required, not held perform bunkering required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a ship assistant 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 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
  • already held maintain vessel engine room skill
  • already held moor vessels skill
  • already held unmoor vessels skill
  • already held use different types of fire extinguishers skill
  • already held use maritime English skill
  • already held act reliably skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
08 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held advise on maritime regulations optional
09 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held physics optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
  • optional, not held advise on maritime regulations optional
  • optional, not held apply vessel engine regulations optional
  • optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
  • optional, not held stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology optional
  • optional, not held physics optional
26 held skills the ship assistant engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role assist water-based navigation skill
  • not needed by the target role clean ships skill
  • not needed by the target role follow hygienic procedures during food processing skill
  • not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role handle cargo skill
  • not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction of ships skill
  • not needed by the target role load cargo onto ships skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain ropes skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain ship brightwork skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain vessel safety and emergency equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role manipulate sails on vessels skill
  • not needed by the target role operate life-saving appliances skill
  • not needed by the target role perform lookout duties during maritime operations skill
  • not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
  • not needed by the target role physical parts of the vessel knowledge
  • not needed by the target role principles of cargo stowage knowledge
  • not needed by the target role secure cargo on ships skill
  • not needed by the target role secure ships using rope skill
  • not needed by the target role sort waste skill
  • not needed by the target role swim skill
  • not needed by the target role types of maritime vessels knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
  • not needed by the target role vessel safety equipment knowledge
  • not needed by the target role work in a water transport team skill
7 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 regulation on the discharge of raw materials into the sea required
  • required, not held electrical systems used in transportation required
  • required, not held operation of different engines required
  • required, not held engine components required
  • required, not held principles of mechanical engineering required
  • optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
  • optional, not held physics optional
Index
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.