Table 1Transition record

production engineertosurface engineer

A production engineer already meets 43% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From production engineer

43%

Overlap1

To surface engineer

10 Skills carried over

5 Required, not held

56.5 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

43%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

56.5/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the surface engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the production 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 surface engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a production engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
engineering principles
engineering processes
industrial engineering
manufacturing processes

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

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held use technical drawing software working with computers
already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 10 carried skills, including the 10 the surface engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 28 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 9 supplementary

required, not held safety engineering required
required, not held surface engineering required

optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held corrosion types required
required, not held mathematics required

optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held physics optional

03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations required

optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional

04 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary

optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional

06 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held environmental legislation optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a surface 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 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held industrial engineering knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held production processes knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held computer simulation optional

08 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste types optional

23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

28 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust production schedule skill
not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
not needed by the target role control production skill
not needed by the target role develop product design skill
not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
not needed by the target role execute feasibility study on hydrogen skill
not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
not needed by the target role implement quality management systems skill
not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage human resources skill
not needed by the target role manage staff skill
not needed by the target role optimise production skill
not needed by the target role production engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role schedule production skill
not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill

18 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 corrosion types required
required, not held mathematics required
required, not held safety engineering required
required, not held surface engineering required
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

Index

Other moves recorded from production engineer

Full index of moves from production 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.