Aviation ground systems engineer to airport maintenance technician
An aviation ground systems engineer already meets 28% of what the airport maintenance technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.1/ 100
1 How much of what an airport maintenance technician is expected to do is already part of an aviation ground systems engineer’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 airport maintenance technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An airport maintenance technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things an aviation ground systems engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- 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 7 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 airport maintenance technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an aviation ground systems engineer 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 5 the airport maintenance technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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 perform manual work autonomously required
- still to learn preserve airport maintenance equipment required
- optional, not held apply airport lighting cleaning procedures optional
- optional, not held clean contaminants from airport runways optional
- optional, not held keep airport runways clear of obstacles optional
- optional, not held remove snow from airport operational areas optional
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn follow written instructions required
- optional, not held address damage to paved surfaces in airports optional
- optional, not held prepare notices to airmen for airport terminal services optional
- still to learn report airport security incidents required
- still to learn identify airport safety hazards required
- optional, not held keep markings legible optional
- still to learn carry out preventive airport maintenance required
- optional, not held apply airport lighting maintenance procedures optional
- optional, not held handle high voltage of airport lighting optional
- optional, not held keep signs legible optional
- optional, not held operate various kinds of grass maintenance equipment optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
- optional, not held keep airport drainage systems functional optional
- optional, not held follow airport snow control plan optional
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
- optional, not held follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an airport maintenance technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out preventive airport maintenance practise this
- 02 perform manual work autonomously practise this
- 03 preserve airport maintenance equipment 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 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
- already held airport electrical systems knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held maintain availability of spare parts optional
- optional, not held schedule maintenance of airport electrical systems optional
- optional, not held causes of damage to paved surfaces in airports optional
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held address damage to paved surfaces in airports optional
- optional, not held apply airport lighting cleaning procedures optional
- optional, not held apply airport lighting maintenance procedures optional
- optional, not held causes of damage to paved surfaces in airports optional
- optional, not held clean contaminants from airport runways optional
- optional, not held follow airport snow control plan optional
- optional, not held handle high voltage of airport lighting optional
- optional, not held keep airport runways clear of obstacles optional
- optional, not held keep markings legible optional
- optional, not held keep signs legible optional
- optional, not held maintain availability of spare parts optional
- optional, not held operate various kinds of grass maintenance equipment optional
- optional, not held prepare notices to airmen for airport terminal services optional
- optional, not held remove snow from airport operational areas optional
- optional, not held schedule maintenance of airport electrical systems optional
- optional, not held comply with regulations on unpaved areas of airports optional
- optional, not held ensure functionality of airport lighting systems optional
- optional, not held follow manufacturer guidelines in use of airport equipment optional
- optional, not held keep airport drainage systems functional optional
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
22 held skills the airport maintenance technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role airport operating environment knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse software specifications skill
- not needed by the target role carry out research on ground systems skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with airport security measures skill
- not needed by the target role execute software tests skill
- not needed by the target role global navigation satellite system performance parameters knowledge
- not needed by the target role ground segment knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware architectures knowledge
- not needed by the target role illegal substances knowledge
- not needed by the target role interpret visual literacy skill
- not needed by the target role levels of software testing knowledge
- not needed by the target role measure software usability skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role promote environmental awareness skill
- not needed by the target role read 3D displays skill
- not needed by the target role safety engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
- not needed by the target role supervise maintenance activities in airports skill
- not needed by the target role test ground system performance skill
- not needed by the target role use ICT equipment in maintenance activities skill
- not needed by the target role utilise computer-aided software engineering tools skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held causes of damage to paved surfaces in airports optional
- optional, not held visual aid systems in airports optional
Other moves recorded from aviation ground systems engineer
Common questions about this move
Can an aviation ground systems engineer become an airport maintenance technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An aviation ground systems engineer already covers 28% of what an airport maintenance technician is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the airport maintenance technician role treats as required.
What skills does an aviation ground systems engineer need to become an airport maintenance technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is carry out preventive airport maintenance.
How hard is the move from aviation ground systems engineer to airport maintenance technician?
Its learning distance is 72.1 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.