Aircraft assembler to aircraft engine assembler
An aircraft assembler already meets 70% of what the aircraft engine assembler role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
36.2/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft engine assembler is expected to do is already part of an aircraft assembler’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the aircraft engine assembler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aircraft engine assembler role treats 16 of its required skills as things an aircraft assembler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- aircraft mechanics
- align components
- apply health and safety standards
- apply preliminary treatment to workpieces
- common aviation safety regulations
- electromechanics
What stands in the way is 4 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 31 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft engine assembler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aircraft assembler background worth leading with.
- already held tend riveting machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operate handheld riveting equipment handling and moving
- already held rivet types engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held aircraft mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held set up automotive robot working with computers
- already held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces handling and moving
All 31 carried skills, including the 16 the aircraft engine assembler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- optional, not held electronics principles optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- still to learn bolt engine parts required
- optional, not held disassemble engines optional
- optional, not held re-assemble engines optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held repair engines optional
- still to learn ensure aircraft compliance with regulation required
- optional, not held diagnose defective engines optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aircraft engine assembler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure aircraft compliance with regulation practise this
- 02 operation of different engines study this
- 03 bolt engine parts practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 31 skills that carry over
- already held aircraft mechanics knowledge
- already held align components skill
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces skill
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held electromechanics knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held fasten components skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use power tools skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held operate handheld riveting equipment skill
- already held operate lifting equipment skill
- already held operate welding equipment skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held rivet types knowledge
- already held set up automotive robot skill
- already held tend riveting machine skill
- already held use CAM software skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held diagnose defective engines optional
- optional, not held disassemble engines optional
- optional, not held electronics principles optional
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held re-assemble engines optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held repair engines optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
14 held skills the aircraft engine assembler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role archive documentation related to work skill
- not needed by the target role assemble metal parts skill
- not needed by the target role cut metal products skill
- not needed by the target role defense system knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- not needed by the target role operate drill press skill
- not needed by the target role perform aircraft maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role program a CNC controller skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC drilling machine skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC grinding machine skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC laser cutting machine skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC metal punch press skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC milling machine skill
- not needed by the target role tend computer numerical control lathe machine skill
5 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- optional, not held electronics principles optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an aircraft assembler become an aircraft engine assembler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An aircraft assembler already covers 70% of what an aircraft engine assembler is expected to do: 31 skills carry over, 16 of which the aircraft engine assembler role treats as required.
What skills does an aircraft assembler need to become an aircraft engine assembler?
4 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ensure aircraft compliance with regulation.
How hard is the move from aircraft assembler to aircraft engine assembler?
Its learning distance is 36.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.