Table 1Transition record

3D printing techniciantoindustrial tool design engineer

A 3D printing technician already meets 44% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

From 3D printing technician

44%

Overlap1

To industrial tool design engineer

14 Skills carried over

11 Required, not held

59.9 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

44%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

59.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the industrial tool design engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the 3D printing technician 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 industrial tool design engineer role treats 13 of its required skills as things a 3D printing technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

CAD software
adjust engineering designs
create solutions to problems
design drawings
design prototypes
identify customer's needs

What stands in the way is 11 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A industrial tool design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a 3D printing technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held CAD software information and communication technologies (icts)

All 14 carried skills, including the 13 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 28 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 information skills 4 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held define part requirements required
required, not held execute feasibility study required
required, not held perform scientific research required
required, not held read engineering drawings required

optional, not held determine production capacity optional
optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
optional, not held monitor production developments optional
optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held industrial tools required
required, not held mechanical engineering required
required, not held production processes required

optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held reverse engineering optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held approve engineering design required
required, not held troubleshoot required

optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional

04 constructing 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held inspect industrial equipment required

optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional

05 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held use specialised design software required

optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional

06 management skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held manage supplies optional
optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a industrial tool 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 14 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held CAD software knowledge
already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held create solutions to problems skill
already held design drawings knowledge
already held design prototypes skill
already held identify customer's needs skill
already held industrial engineering knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held mechanics knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use CAD software skill
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held 3D modelling 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

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held determine production capacity optional
optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
optional, not held manage supplies optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held monitor production developments optional
optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
optional, not held reverse engineering optional
optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional

24 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role 3D printing process knowledge
not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
not needed by the target role ICT software specifications 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 clean equipment skill
not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
not needed by the target role maintenance of printing machines knowledge
not needed by the target role maintenance operations knowledge
not needed by the target role manual draughting techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role monitor manufacturing quality standards skill
not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
not needed by the target role operate printing machinery skill
not needed by the target role printing materials knowledge
not needed by the target role printing on large scale machines knowledge
not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
not needed by the target role prosthetic devices knowledge
not needed by the target role use manual draughting techniques 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 industrial tools required
required, not held mechanical engineering required
required, not held production processes required
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held reverse engineering optional

Index

Other moves recorded from 3D printing technician

Full index of moves from 3D printing technician

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.