Engineering assistant to research engineer
An engineering assistant already meets 26% of what the research engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.2/ 100
1 How much of what a research engineer is expected to do is already part of an engineering assistant’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 research engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A research engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things an engineering assistant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- gather experimental data
- project management
- technical drawings
What stands in the way is 9 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 7 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 an engineering assistant background worth leading with.
- already held write manuals communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held gather experimental data information skills
- already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held project management business, administration and law
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held engineering processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 7 carried skills, including the 5 the research engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 12 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 interpret technical requirements required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held conduct experiments on animals optional
- optional, not held use mathematical tools and equipment optional
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- still to learn manage engineering project required
- optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
- optional, not held develop test procedures optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
- still to learn industrial research and development required
- optional, not held battery design optional
- optional, not held industrial engineering optional
- optional, not held materials engineering optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn collect samples for analysis required
6 further areas in the appendix
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.
- 01 interpret technical requirements practise this
- 02 collect samples for analysis practise this
- 03 define technical requirements 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held gather experimental data skill
- already held project management knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held write manuals skill
The 6 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held computational mechanics optional
- optional, not held bioeconomy optional
- optional, not held laboratory techniques optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held perform laboratory tests optional
- optional, not held run laboratory simulations optional
- optional, not held cognitive computing optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held scientific literature optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- 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 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 perform project management 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
21 held skills the research engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role consult with industry professionals skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role deliver visual presentation of data skill
- not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role file documents skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role handle mail skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with industrial professionals skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
- not needed by the target role perform office routine activities skill
- not needed by the target role plan engineering activities skill
- not needed by the target role prepare scientific reports skill
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
12 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 industrial research and development required
- still to learn 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
Common questions about this move
Can an engineering assistant become a research engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An engineering assistant already covers 26% of what a research engineer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 5 of which the research engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an engineering assistant need to become a research engineer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is interpret technical requirements.
How hard is the move from engineering assistant to research engineer?
Its learning distance is 70.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.