Airport maintenance technician to aviation ground systems engineer
An airport maintenance technician already meets 23% of what the aviation ground systems engineer role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
78.3/ 100
1 How much of what an aviation ground systems engineer is expected to do is already part of an airport maintenance technician’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 aviation ground systems engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aviation ground systems engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things an airport maintenance technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- airport electrical systems
- airport safety regulations
- apply airport standards and regulations
- interact with airport stakeholders
- use different communication channels
- work in an aviation team
What stands in the way is 19 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aviation ground systems engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an airport maintenance technician background worth leading with.
- already held airport electrical systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held interact with airport stakeholders communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held airport safety regulations services
- already held apply airport standards and regulations assisting and caring
- already held work in an aviation team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use different communication channels communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 6 the aviation ground systems engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 11 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 use ICT equipment in maintenance activities required
- still to learn analyse software specifications required
- still to learn execute software tests required
- still to learn utilise computer-aided software engineering tools required
- still to learn solve ICT system problems required
- still to learn carry out research on ground systems required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- still to learn read 3D displays required
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- still to learn ground segment required
- still to learn hardware architectures required
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
- still to learn measure software usability required
- still to learn test ground system performance required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with airport security measures required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aviation ground systems engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out research on ground systems practise this
- 02 ground segment study this
- 03 use ICT equipment in maintenance activities 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held airport electrical systems knowledge
- already held airport safety regulations knowledge
- already held apply airport standards and regulations skill
- already held interact with airport stakeholders skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in an aviation team skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn airport operating environment required
- still to learn levels of software testing required
- still to learn supervise maintenance activities in airports required
- still to learn global navigation satellite system performance parameters required
- still to learn illegal substances required
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held perform risk analysis optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
27 held skills the aviation ground systems engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address damage to paved surfaces in airports skill
- not needed by the target role apply airport lighting cleaning procedures skill
- not needed by the target role apply airport lighting maintenance procedures skill
- not needed by the target role carry out preventive airport maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role causes of damage to paved surfaces in airports knowledge
- not needed by the target role clean contaminants from airport runways skill
- not needed by the target role comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports skill
- not needed by the target role ensure functionality of airport lighting systems skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow airport snow control plan skill
- not needed by the target role follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role handle high voltage of airport lighting skill
- not needed by the target role identify airport safety hazards skill
- not needed by the target role keep airport drainage systems functional skill
- not needed by the target role keep airport runways clear of obstacles skill
- not needed by the target role keep markings legible skill
- not needed by the target role keep signs legible skill
- not needed by the target role maintain availability of spare parts skill
- not needed by the target role operate various kinds of grass maintenance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role prepare notices to airmen for airport terminal services skill
- not needed by the target role preserve airport maintenance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role remove snow from airport operational areas skill
- not needed by the target role report airport security incidents skill
- not needed by the target role schedule maintenance of airport electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role visual aid systems in airports knowledge
7 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 ground segment required
- still to learn airport operating environment required
- still to learn global navigation satellite system performance parameters required
- still to learn hardware architectures required
- still to learn levels of software testing required
- still to learn illegal substances required
- optional, not held safety engineering optional
Other moves recorded from airport maintenance technician
Common questions about this move
Can an airport maintenance technician become an aviation ground systems engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An airport maintenance technician already covers 23% of what an aviation ground systems engineer is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 6 of which the aviation ground systems engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an airport maintenance technician need to become an aviation ground systems engineer?
19 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is carry out research on ground systems.
How hard is the move from airport maintenance technician to aviation ground systems engineer?
Its learning distance is 78.3 out of 100, which is the career change 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.