Civil engineer to civil engineering technician
A civil engineer already meets 45% of what the civil engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.4/ 100
1 How much of what a civil engineering technician is expected to do is already part of a civil 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 civil engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A civil engineering technician role treats 8 of its required skills as things a civil engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- civil engineering
- construction methods
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- ensure compliance with safety legislation
- inspect construction supplies
What stands in the way is 12 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 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A civil engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a civil engineer background worth leading with.
- already held traffic engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held liaise with architects communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create CAD drawings working with computers
- already held advise on building matters communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held oversee construction project management skills
- already held urban planning law business, administration and law
All 30 carried skills, including the 8 the civil engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 33 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 field research required
- still to learn estimate duration of work required
- still to learn keep records of work progress required
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects optional
- still to learn building information modelling required
- still to learn building codes required
- still to learn construction industry required
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- still to learn use safety equipment in construction required
- optional, not held ensure gambling operational standards optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held obtain relevant licenses optional
- optional, not held work ergonomically optional
- still to learn manage schedule of tasks required
- still to learn prevent damage to utility infrastructure required
- optional, not held define technical requirements optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with construction project deadline optional
- still to learn operate drones in civil engineering required
- still to learn use measurement instruments required
- optional, not held work in a construction team optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
- optional, not held design buildings optional
- optional, not held design scale models optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a civil engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 building information modelling study this
- 02 operate drones in civil engineering practise this
- 03 perform field research 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 30 skills that carry over
- already held civil engineering knowledge
- already held construction methods knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- already held inspect construction supplies skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held advise on building matters skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held cost management knowledge
- already held create CAD drawings skill
- already held design principles knowledge
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held energy efficiency knowledge
- already held energy performance of buildings knowledge
- already held liaise with architects skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage engineering project skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held oversee construction project skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held quantity surveying knowledge
- already held renewable energy knowledge
- already held traffic engineering knowledge
- already held urban planning knowledge
- already held urban planning law knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held industrial design optional
- optional, not held set up temporary construction site infrastructure optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
- optional, not held set up temporary construction site infrastructure optional
- optional, not held work in a construction team optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held address problems critically optional
- optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
- optional, not held assess financial viability optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held define technical requirements optional
- optional, not held design buildings optional
- optional, not held design scale models optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with construction project deadline optional
- optional, not held ensure gambling operational standards optional
- optional, not held industrial design optional
- optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects optional
- optional, not held obtain relevant licenses optional
- optional, not held promote environmental awareness optional
- optional, not held work ergonomically optional
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
66 held skills the civil engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
- not needed by the target role assess project resource needs skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role bridge engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role business management principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role cartography knowledge
- not needed by the target role check quality of raw materials skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role collect geological data skill
- not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quality control analysis skill
- not needed by the target role construction products knowledge
- not needed by the target role create cadastral maps skill
- not needed by the target role demonstrate disciplinary expertise skill
- not needed by the target role design building envelope systems skill
- not needed by the target role design wind turbines skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role electric generators knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role geochemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role geodesy knowledge
- not needed by the target role geology knowledge
- not needed by the target role geomatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role geophysics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify energy needs skill
- not needed by the target role inspect industrial equipment skill
- not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
- not needed by the target role interact professionally in research and professional environments skill
- not needed by the target role logistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage a team skill
- not needed by the target role manage bridge construction projects skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
26 further entries not listed here
6 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 building information modelling required
- still to learn building codes required
- still to learn construction industry required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held industrial design optional
- optional, not held zoning codes optional
Other moves recorded from civil engineer
- transport engineer 66% covered · moderate
- land surveyor 56% covered · moderate
- geological engineer 54% covered · moderate
- environmental mining engineer 52% covered · moderate
- equipment engineer 47% covered · moderate
- land planner 47% covered · substantial
- surveying technician 47% covered · substantial
- logistics engineer 46% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can a civil engineer become a civil engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A civil engineer already covers 45% of what a civil engineering technician is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 8 of which the civil engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does a civil engineer need to become a civil engineering technician?
12 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is building information modelling.
How hard is the move from civil engineer to civil engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 61.4 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.