Diesel engine mechanic to automotive brake technician
A diesel engine mechanic already meets 39% of what the automotive brake technician role asks for. The move turns on 4 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.4/ 100
1 How much of what an automotive brake technician is expected to do is already part of a diesel engine mechanic’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 automotive brake technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An automotive brake technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a diesel engine mechanic already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- automotive diagnostic equipment
- mechanics
- mechanics of motor vehicles
- use automotive diagnostic equipment
- wear appropriate protective gear
What stands in the way is 4 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 automotive brake technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a diesel engine mechanic background worth leading with.
- already held automotive diagnostic equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment constructing
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held wear appropriate protective gear assisting and caring
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held identify customer's needs communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the automotive brake technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 7 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 read standard blueprints required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held maintain motorcycle records optional
- optional, not held inspect repaired tyres optional
- optional, not held inspect worn tyres optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise customers on motor vehicles optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- optional, not held maintain motor vehicle steering system optional
- optional, not held maintain suspension system optional
- optional, not held maintain braking system optional
- optional, not held prepare tyres for vulcanization optional
- optional, not held replace tyres optional
- optional, not held vehicle electrical systems optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an automotive brake technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 apply health and safety standards practise this
- 02 read standard blueprints practise this
- 03 troubleshoot 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 automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held rebuff tyre optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain motor vehicle steering system optional
- optional, not held maintain motorcycle records optional
- optional, not held maintain suspension system optional
- optional, not held vehicle electrical systems optional
- optional, not held advise customers on motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held inspect repaired tyres optional
- optional, not held inspect worn tyres optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held maintain braking system optional
- optional, not held prepare tyres for vulcanization optional
- optional, not held rebuff tyre optional
- optional, not held replace tyres optional
36 held skills the automotive brake technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust tightness of engine parts skill
- not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role bolt engine parts skill
- not needed by the target role check train engines skill
- not needed by the target role clean vehicle engine skill
- not needed by the target role comply with factory specifications in engine repair skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role diagnose defective engines skill
- not needed by the target role disassemble engines skill
- not needed by the target role engine components knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role install transport equipment engines skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role lubricate engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trains knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trolley buses knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role operation of different engines knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on locomotives skill
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role perform routine maintenance on railway engines skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of combustion engines knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide customer information related to repairs skill
- not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role re-assemble engines skill
- not needed by the target role repair engines skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional toolbox tools skill
1 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 vehicle electrical systems optional
Common questions about this move
Can a diesel engine mechanic become an automotive brake technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A diesel engine mechanic already covers 39% of what an automotive brake technician is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the automotive brake technician role treats as required.
What skills does a diesel engine mechanic need to become an automotive brake technician?
4 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is apply health and safety standards.
How hard is the move from diesel engine mechanic to automotive brake technician?
Its learning distance is 52.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.