Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Electrical engineer to electronics drafter

An electrical engineer already meets 35% of what the electronics drafter role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From electrical engineer
35 % overlap
Distant match
To electronics drafter
12 You already bring
13 Still to learn
41 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

66/ 100

1 How much of what an electronics drafter is expected to do is already part of an electrical 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 electronics drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An electronics drafter role treats 9 of its required skills as things an electrical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • design circuit boards
  • design drawings
  • design prototypes
  • electricity
  • electronics
  • integrated circuits

What stands in the way is 13 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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An electronics drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an electrical engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held design circuit boards communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held design sensors communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held integrated circuits engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams information skills
  • already held design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 12 carried skills, including the 9 the electronics drafter role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 29 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 10 supplementary
  • still to learn customise drafts required
  • still to learn design electronic systems required
  • still to learn draw blueprints required
  • still to learn liaise with engineers required
  • optional, not held design hardware optional
  • optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design microelectronics optional
  • optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
  • optional, not held prepare assembly drawings optional
  • optional, not held review drafts optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
  • optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn electronic components required
  • still to learn electronic equipment standards required
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • still to learn types of electronics required
  • optional, not held consumer electronics optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held power electronics optional
03 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required
  • still to learn CAD software required
  • still to learn printed circuit boards required
04 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn create technical plans required
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
05 arts and humanities 1 required
  • still to learn manual draughting techniques required
06 working with computers 1 required
  • still to learn use CAD software required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an electronics drafter 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 12 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held design circuit boards skill
  • already held design drawings knowledge
  • already held design prototypes skill
  • already held electricity knowledge
  • already held electronics knowledge
  • already held integrated circuits knowledge
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held design sensors skill
  • already held electrical engineering knowledge
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 information skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held draft bill of materials optional
  • optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held consumer electronics optional
  • optional, not held design hardware optional
  • optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design microelectronics optional
  • optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
  • optional, not held draft bill of materials optional
  • optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held power electronics optional
  • optional, not held prepare assembly drawings optional
  • optional, not held review drafts optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
  • optional, not held use manual draughting techniques optional
96 held skills the electronics drafter role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Assembly (computer programming) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Objective-C knowledge
  • not needed by the target role PHP knowledge
  • not needed by the target role R knowledge
  • not needed by the target role VBScript knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Visual Basic knowledge
  • not needed by the target role abide by regulations on banned materials skill
  • not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
  • not needed by the target role align software with system architectures skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
  • not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
  • not needed by the target role artificial lighting systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assemble electromechanical systems skill
  • not needed by the target role assemble hardware components skill
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
  • not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
  • not needed by the target role battery design knowledge
  • not needed by the target role battery management systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role biotechnology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role computer technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create electrical wiring diagram skill
  • not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role design a mini wind power system skill
  • not needed by the target role design an electric heating system skill
  • not needed by the target role design electric power systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design electromagnets skill
  • not needed by the target role design electromechanical systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design smart grids skill
  • not needed by the target role design user interface skill
  • not needed by the target role domestic cooling systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric drives knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric generators knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric heating systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electric motors knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical equipment components knowledge

56 further entries not listed here

10 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 pick up Tier
  • still to learn electronic components required
  • still to learn CAD software required
  • still to learn electronic equipment standards required
  • still to learn manual draughting techniques required
  • still to learn printed circuit boards required
  • still to learn technical drawings required
  • still to learn types of electronics required
  • optional, not held consumer electronics optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held power electronics optional
Index

Other moves recorded from electrical engineer

Full index of moves from electrical engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an electrical engineer become an electronics drafter?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrical engineer already covers 35% of what an electronics drafter is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 9 of which the electronics drafter role treats as required.

What skills does an electrical engineer need to become an electronics drafter?

13 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is electronic components.

How hard is the move from electrical engineer to electronics drafter?

Its learning distance is 66 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.