Automotive test driver to fluid power technician
An automotive test driver already meets 23% of what the fluid power technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.3/ 100
1 How much of what a fluid power technician is expected to do is already part of an automotive test driver’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 fluid power technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fluid power technician role treats 4 of its required skills as things an automotive test driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- mechanics
- perform test run
- record test data
- use testing equipment
What stands in the way is 9 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fluid power technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an automotive test driver background worth leading with.
- already held use testing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held liaise with engineers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held record test data information skills
- already held perform test run constructing
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the fluid power technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 missing skills fall into 9 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 fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn consult technical resources required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held prepare compliance documents optional
- still to learn install hydraulic systems required
- still to learn operate soldering equipment required
- optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- still to learn resolve equipment malfunctions required
- optional, not held provide customer information related to repairs optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
- still to learn secure working area required
- optional, not held conduct routine machinery checks optional
- optional, not held install electrical and electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fluid power technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 consult technical resources practise this
- 02 fluid mechanics study this
- 03 hydraulic fluid 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform test run skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
- optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
- optional, not held provide customer information related to repairs optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held conduct routine machinery checks optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held install electrical and electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
- optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held prepare compliance documents optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
- optional, not held solve technical problems optional
- optional, not held troubleshoot optional
20 held skills the fluid power technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role car controls knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct performance measurement skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role control the performance of the vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role drive at high speeds skill
- not needed by the target role drive motor vehicle prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain records related to vehicle operation skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role test motor vehicles under demanding conditions skill
- not needed by the target role types of vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role vehicle type-approval knowledge
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically skill
3 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 fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn hydraulics required
Common questions about this move
Can an automotive test driver become a fluid power technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An automotive test driver already covers 23% of what a fluid power technician is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the fluid power technician role treats as required.
What skills does an automotive test driver need to become a fluid power technician?
9 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is consult technical resources.
How hard is the move from automotive test driver to fluid power technician?
Its learning distance is 70.3 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.