Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Automotive test driver to motor vehicle engine tester

An automotive test driver already meets 25% of what the motor vehicle engine tester role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From automotive test driver
25 % overlap
Distant match
To motor vehicle engine tester
7 You already bring
14 Still to learn
36 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

74/ 100

1 How much of what a motor vehicle engine tester 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 motor vehicle engine tester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A motor vehicle engine tester role treats 6 of its required skills as things an automotive test driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • conduct performance tests
  • mechanics
  • mechanics of motor vehicles
  • perform test run
  • record test data
  • use testing equipment

What stands in the way is 14 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A motor vehicle engine tester 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held mechanics of motor vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held conduct performance tests constructing
  • 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

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the motor vehicle engine tester role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 6 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn diagnose defective engines required
  • still to learn evaluate engine performance required
  • still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
  • still to learn read engineering drawings required
  • still to learn read standard blueprints required
  • still to learn use technical documentation required
  • optional, not held write records for repairs optional
  • optional, not held lead inspections optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn engineering processes required
  • still to learn operation of different engines required
  • still to learn electromechanics required
  • still to learn engine components required
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn operate precision measuring equipment required
  • optional, not held disassemble engines optional
  • optional, not held re-assemble engines optional
  • optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
04 constructing 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn use automotive diagnostic equipment required
  • optional, not held lubricate engines optional
  • optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required
  • still to learn create solutions to problems required
06 services 1 required
  • still to learn health and safety regulations required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a motor vehicle engine tester 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 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held conduct performance tests skill
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held mechanics of motor vehicles 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
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 4 supplementary
  • optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
  • optional, not held prepare audit activities optional
  • optional, not held supervise staff optional
  • optional, not held supervise work optional
08 handling and moving 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
  • optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
09 business, administration and law 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held disassemble engines 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 engineering principles optional
  • optional, not held lead inspections optional
  • optional, not held lubricate engines optional
  • optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
  • optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
  • optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
  • optional, not held prepare audit activities optional
  • optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
  • optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
  • optional, not held supervise staff optional
  • optional, not held supervise work optional
18 held skills the motor vehicle engine tester role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 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 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
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 pick up Tier
  • still to learn engineering processes required
  • still to learn operation of different engines required
  • still to learn electromechanics required
  • still to learn engine components required
  • still to learn health and safety regulations required
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
  • optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
Index

Other moves recorded from automotive test driver

Full index of moves from automotive test driver

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an automotive test driver become a motor vehicle engine tester?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An automotive test driver already covers 25% of what a motor vehicle engine tester is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the motor vehicle engine tester role treats as required.

What skills does an automotive test driver need to become a motor vehicle engine tester?

14 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is diagnose defective engines.

How hard is the move from automotive test driver to motor vehicle engine tester?

Its learning distance is 74 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.