Automotive electrician to marine electrician
An automotive electrician already meets 63% of what the marine electrician role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
42.9/ 100
1 How much of what a marine electrician is expected to do is already part of an automotive electrician’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 marine electrician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A marine electrician role treats 11 of its required skills as things an automotive electrician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply health and safety standards
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- electronics
- fasten components
- mechanics
What stands in the way is 8 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A marine electrician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an automotive electrician background worth leading with.
- already held install transport equipment batteries working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held install transport equipment lighting working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held repair battery components working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held battery fluids engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held operate battery test equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held battery chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 25 carried skills, including the 11 the marine electrician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 4 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 maritime electric drives required
- still to learn mechanics of vessels required
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
- still to learn vessel electrical system required
- still to learn electrical testing methods required
- still to learn electrical wiring diagrams required
- optional, not held electronic test procedures optional
- still to learn test electrical equipment required
- optional, not held maintain vessel technical equipment according to instructions optional
- still to learn install electrical equipment in vessels required
- optional, not held repair vessel electrical systems optional
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a marine electrician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 install electrical equipment in vessels practise this
- 02 maritime electric drives study this
- 03 mechanics of vessels study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 25 skills that carry over
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held fasten components skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform test run skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held apply soldering techniques skill
- already held battery chemistry knowledge
- already held battery components knowledge
- already held battery fluids knowledge
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held diagnose defective engines skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held install transport equipment batteries skill
- already held install transport equipment lighting skill
- already held maintain electrical equipment skill
- already held operate battery test equipment skill
- already held operate soldering equipment skill
- already held repair battery components skill
- already held write records for repairs skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
- optional, not held repair vessel electrical systems optional
- optional, not held electronic test procedures optional
- optional, not held maintain vessel technical equipment according to instructions optional
28 held skills the marine electrician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role car controls knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out improvised vehicle repairs skill
- not needed by the target role clean vehicle exterior skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role energy storage systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role inspect for faults in the vehicle's electric system skill
- not needed by the target role install automotive electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install car electronics skill
- not needed by the target role keep stock records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vehicle records skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role perform road testing of vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role perform vehicle diagnostic procedures skill
- not needed by the target role position vehicles for maintenance and repair skill
- not needed by the target role provide customer follow-up services skill
- not needed by the target role repair vehicle electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role repair vehicle's electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role test electronic units skill
- not needed by the target role types of vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role use automotive diagnostic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use specialised tools in electric repairs skill
- not needed by the target role vehicle electrical systems 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 maritime electric drives required
- still to learn mechanics of vessels required
- still to learn types of maritime vessels required
- still to learn vessel electrical system required
- still to learn electrical testing methods required
- still to learn electrical wiring diagrams required
- optional, not held electronic test procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can an automotive electrician become a marine electrician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An automotive electrician already covers 63% of what a marine electrician is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 11 of which the marine electrician role treats as required.
What skills does an automotive electrician need to become a marine electrician?
8 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is install electrical equipment in vessels.
How hard is the move from automotive electrician to marine electrician?
Its learning distance is 42.9 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.