Diesel engine mechanic to vehicle technician
A diesel engine mechanic already meets 33% of what the vehicle technician role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.3/ 100
1 How much of what a vehicle 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 vehicle technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A vehicle technician role treats 12 of its required skills as things a diesel engine mechanic already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- automotive diagnostic equipment
- execute working instructions
- health and safety measures in transportation
- identify customer's needs
- maintain work area cleanliness
- mechanics
What stands in the way is 22 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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A vehicle 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 use traditional toolbox tools handling and moving
- already held adjust tightness of engine parts constructing
- already held lubricate engines constructing
- already held automotive diagnostic equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held maintain electrical engines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment constructing
All 20 carried skills, including the 12 the vehicle technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 46 missing skills fall into 11 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 components of air conditioning systems required
- still to learn hybrid vehicle architecture required
- still to learn mechanical components of vehicles required
- still to learn mechanical requirements for vehicles in urban areas required
- still to learn vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn emission standards required
- still to learn types of vehicles required
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
- still to learn perform vehicle tests required
- still to learn diagnose problems with vehicles required
- still to learn maintain vehicle records required
- still to learn maintain updated professional knowledge required
- still to learn perform road testing of vehicles required
- optional, not held perform annual legal safety checks optional
- optional, not held keep stock records optional
- optional, not held maintain customer records optional
- optional, not held maintain professional records optional
- still to learn carry out repair of vehicles required
- still to learn carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicle bodies required
- still to learn perform technical tasks with great care required
- still to learn repair vehicle electrical systems required
- optional, not held carry out repair of motorcycles optional
- optional, not held perform minor vehicle repairs optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held replace tyres optional
- still to learn follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health required
- still to learn position vehicles for maintenance and repair required
- optional, not held fix minor vehicle scratches optional
- optional, not held lift heavy weights optional
- still to learn adapt to new technology used in cars required
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with warranty contracts optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a vehicle technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 perform vehicle tests practise this
- 02 adapt to new technology used in cars practise this
- 03 car controls study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- already held execute working instructions skill
- already held health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held maintain work area cleanliness skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform manual work autonomously skill
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held provide customer information related to repairs skill
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment skill
- already held use traditional toolbox tools skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held adjust tightness of engine parts skill
- already held disassemble engines skill
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held lubricate engines skill
- already held maintain electrical engines skill
- already held operation of different engines knowledge
- already held repair engines skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- still to learn car controls required
- optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
- optional, not held maintain motor vehicle steering system optional
- optional, not held maintain suspension system optional
- optional, not held maintain vehicle appearance optional
- optional, not held maintain braking system optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
- optional, not held organise vehicle breakdown support optional
24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held perform annual legal safety checks optional
- optional, not held carry out repair of motorcycles optional
- optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
- optional, not held keep stock records optional
- optional, not held maintain motor vehicle steering system optional
- optional, not held maintain suspension system optional
- optional, not held maintain vehicle appearance optional
- optional, not held organise vehicle breakdown support optional
- optional, not held perform minor vehicle repairs optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with warranty contracts optional
- optional, not held fix minor vehicle scratches optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held lift heavy weights optional
- optional, not held maintain braking system optional
- optional, not held maintain customer records optional
- optional, not held maintain professional records optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- optional, not held replace tyres optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
22 held skills the vehicle technician role does not ask for
- 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 evaluate engine performance skill
- 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 maintain vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- 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 perform maintenance on locomotives 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 rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role re-assemble engines skill
11 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 car controls required
- still to learn components of air conditioning systems required
- still to learn hybrid vehicle architecture required
- still to learn mechanical components of vehicles required
- still to learn mechanical requirements for vehicles in urban areas required
- still to learn vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn emission standards required
- still to learn teamwork principles required
- still to learn types of vehicles required
- optional, not held electrical wiring plans optional
- optional, not held types of vehicle engines optional
Common questions about this move
Can a diesel engine mechanic become a vehicle technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A diesel engine mechanic already covers 33% of what a vehicle technician is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 12 of which the vehicle technician role treats as required.
What skills does a diesel engine mechanic need to become a vehicle technician?
22 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is perform vehicle tests.
How hard is the move from diesel engine mechanic to vehicle technician?
Its learning distance is 76.3 out of 100, which is the career change 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.