Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

contract engineertoresearch engineer

A contract engineer already meets 42% of what the research engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.

From contract engineer
42%
Overlap1
To research engineer
10 Skills carried over
5 Required, not held
56.5 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

42%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

56.5/ 100

1 Share of the research engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the contract engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A research engineer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a contract engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • define technical requirements
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • interpret technical requirements
  • manage engineering project
  • perform scientific research

What stands in the way is 5 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A research engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a contract engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held interpret technical requirements information skills
  • already held manage engineering project management skills
  • already held define technical requirements management skills
  • already held project management business, administration and law
  • already held use technical drawing software working with computers
  • already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 10 carried skills, including the 9 the research engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held execute feasibility study required
  • required, not held gather experimental data required
  • optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
  • optional, not held use mathematical tools and equipment optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held industrial research and development required
  • optional, not held battery design optional
  • optional, not held industrial engineering optional
  • optional, not held materials engineering optional
03 education 1 required
  • required, not held scientific research methodology required
04 handling and moving 1 required
  • required, not held collect samples for analysis required
05 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 4 supplementary
  • optional, not held computational mechanics optional
  • optional, not held bioeconomy optional
  • optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
  • optional, not held physics optional
06 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
  • optional, not held assist scientific research optional
  • optional, not held write manuals optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a research engineer 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 10 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held define technical requirements skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held interpret technical requirements skill
  • already held manage engineering project skill
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held project management knowledge
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held perform project management skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
  • optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
  • optional, not held run laboratory simulations optional
08 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held cognitive computing optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
09 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held develop test procedures optional
10 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory optional
11 generic programmes and qualifications 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
12 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory optional
  • optional, not held battery design optional
  • optional, not held cognitive computing optional
  • optional, not held computational mechanics optional
  • optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
  • optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
  • optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
  • optional, not held assist scientific research optional
  • optional, not held bioeconomy optional
  • optional, not held develop test procedures optional
  • optional, not held industrial engineering optional
  • optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
  • optional, not held materials engineering optional
  • optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
  • optional, not held physics optional
  • optional, not held run laboratory simulations optional
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use mathematical tools and equipment optional
  • optional, not held write manuals optional
23 held skills the research engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
  • not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
  • not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
  • not needed by the target role carry out tendering skill
  • not needed by the target role compare contractors' bids skill
  • not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
  • not needed by the target role consult with technical staff skill
  • not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
  • not needed by the target role identify suppliers skill
  • not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
  • not needed by the target role labour legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role maintain contract administration skill
  • not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
  • not needed by the target role manage contract disputes skill
  • not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
  • not needed by the target role manage sub-contract labour skill
  • not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
  • not needed by the target role meet contract specifications skill
  • not needed by the target role perform contract compliance audits skill
  • not needed by the target role tax legislation knowledge
12 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 acquire Tier
  • required, not held industrial research and development required
  • required, not held scientific research methodology required
  • optional, not held battery design optional
  • optional, not held cognitive computing optional
  • optional, not held computational mechanics optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held bioeconomy optional
  • optional, not held industrial engineering optional
  • optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
  • optional, not held materials engineering optional
  • optional, not held physics optional
  • optional, not held scientific literature optional
Index

Other moves recorded from contract engineer

Full index of moves from contract engineer

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.