Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Electrician to avionics technician

An electrician already meets 37% of what the avionics technician role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From electrician
37 % overlap
Distant match
To avionics technician
11 You already bring
11 Still to learn
35 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.6/ 100

1 How much of what an avionics technician is expected to do is already part of an electrician’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 avionics technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An avionics technician role treats 8 of its required skills as things an electrician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • assemble electrical components
  • electrical wiring plans
  • electricity
  • electronics
  • install electrical and electronic equipment
  • read standard blueprints

What stands in the way is 11 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An avionics technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an electrician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held assemble electrical components handling and moving
  • already held solder electronics constructing
  • already held maintain electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held electrical wiring plans engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held maintain electrical equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the avionics technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 24 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
  • still to learn electronics principles required
  • still to learn electrical engineering required
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
02 constructing 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn apply soldering techniques required
  • still to learn operate soldering equipment required
  • still to learn test electronic units required
  • optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
03 assisting and caring 2 required
  • still to learn apply health and safety standards required
  • still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
04 business, administration and law 1 required
  • still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
05 information skills 1 required
  • still to learn read engineering drawings required
06 services 1 required
  • still to learn aircraft flight control systems required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an avionics technician 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 11 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held assemble electrical components skill
  • already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
  • already held electricity knowledge
  • already held electronics knowledge
  • already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held solder electronics skill
  • already held troubleshoot skill
  • already held keep records of work progress skill
  • already held maintain electrical equipment skill
  • already held maintain electronic equipment skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 information and communication technologies (icts) 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held CADD software optional
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
08 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
09 working with computers 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use CADD software optional
10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional
11 handling and moving 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held CADD software optional
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
  • optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
  • optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
  • optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
  • optional, not held use CAD software optional
  • optional, not held use CADD software optional
  • optional, not held use testing equipment optional
44 held skills the avionics technician role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role answer requests for quotation skill
  • not needed by the target role artificial lighting systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assemble electronic units skill
  • not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role bind wire skill
  • not needed by the target role building systems monitoring technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role control systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cut wall chases skill
  • not needed by the target role electrical testing methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical wire accessories knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical wiring diagrams knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
  • not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect electrical supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role install circuit breakers skill
  • not needed by the target role install electric switches skill
  • not needed by the target role install electricity sockets skill
  • not needed by the target role install lightning protection system skill
  • not needed by the target role install smart devices skill
  • not needed by the target role measure electrical characteristics skill
  • not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role program firmware skill
  • not needed by the target role provide power connection from bus bars skill
  • not needed by the target role react to events in time-critical environments skill
  • not needed by the target role repair wiring skill
  • not needed by the target role replace defect components skill
  • not needed by the target role resolve equipment malfunctions skill
  • not needed by the target role solar panel mounting systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role splice cable skill
  • not needed by the target role strip wire skill
  • not needed by the target role test electrical equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
  • not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role use precision tools skill
  • not needed by the target role use safety equipment in construction skill
  • not needed by the target role use sander skill

4 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 aircraft flight control systems required
  • still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
  • still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
  • still to learn electronics principles required
  • still to learn electrical engineering required
  • optional, not held engineering processes optional
  • optional, not held CAD software optional
  • optional, not held CADD software optional
  • optional, not held CAE software optional
  • optional, not held engineering principles optional
Index

Other moves recorded from electrician

Full index of moves from electrician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an electrician become an avionics technician?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An electrician already covers 37% of what an avionics technician is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the avionics technician role treats as required.

What skills does an electrician need to become an avionics technician?

11 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is aircraft flight control systems.

How hard is the move from electrician to avionics technician?

Its learning distance is 63.6 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.