RecordMove

Fitter and turner to aircraft assembler

A fitter and turner already meets 26% of what the aircraft assembler 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 fitter and turner

Distant match

To aircraft assembler

11 You already bring

13 Still to learn

45 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an aircraft assembler is expected to do is already part of a fitter and turner’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 aircraft assembler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An aircraft assembler role treats 5 of its required skills as things a fitter and turner already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

assemble metal parts
operate drill press
read engineering drawings
read standard blueprints
use technical documentation

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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft assembler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fitter and turner background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held operate drill press working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held tend computer numerical control lathe machine working with computers
already held tend riveting machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held assemble metal parts handling and moving
already held operate handheld riveting equipment handling and moving
already held rivet types engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 11 carried skills, including the 5 the aircraft assembler role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 34 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 handling and moving 4 required

still to learn align components required
still to learn apply preliminary treatment to workpieces required
still to learn fasten components required
still to learn use power tools required

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn aircraft mechanics required
still to learn electromechanics required
still to learn mechanics required

optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional

03 assisting and caring 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn apply health and safety standards required
still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required

optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional

04 business, administration and law 2 required

still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
still to learn quality standards required

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn troubleshoot required

optional, not held liaise with engineers optional

06 management skills 1 required

still to learn ensure equipment availability required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an aircraft assembler 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 metal parts skill
already held operate drill press skill
already held read engineering drawings skill
already held read standard blueprints skill
already held use technical documentation skill
already held cut metal products skill
already held inspect quality of products skill
already held operate handheld riveting equipment skill
already held rivet types knowledge
already held tend computer numerical control lathe machine skill
already held tend riveting machine skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 working with computers 8 supplementary

optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
optional, not held set up automotive robot optional
optional, not held tend CNC drilling machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC laser cutting machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC metal punch press optional
optional, not held tend CNC milling machine optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

08 information skills 3 supplementary

optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held record test data optional

09 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary

optional, not held perform aircraft maintenance optional
optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

10 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held operate welding equipment optional

11 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held defense system optional

21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held perform aircraft maintenance optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held set up automotive robot optional
optional, not held tend CNC drilling machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC laser cutting machine optional
optional, not held tend CNC metal punch press optional
optional, not held tend CNC milling machine optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

20 held skills the aircraft assembler role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role apply polishing lubricants skill
not needed by the target role assemble electrical components skill
not needed by the target role design metal components skill
not needed by the target role develop assembly instructions skill
not needed by the target role fabricate metal parts skill
not needed by the target role heat metals skill
not needed by the target role join metals skill
not needed by the target role manipulate metal skill
not needed by the target role manufacturing of metal structures knowledge
not needed by the target role measure parts of manufactured products skill
not needed by the target role metal coating technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role metal forming technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role metal joining technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role operate metal fabricating machines skill
not needed by the target role perform metal work skill
not needed by the target role screw types knowledge
not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
not needed by the target role solve technical problems skill
not needed by the target role tend lathe skill
not needed by the target role types of metal knowledge

8 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 common aviation safety regulations required
still to learn aircraft mechanics required
still to learn electromechanics required
still to learn mechanics required
still to learn quality standards required
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional

Index

Other moves recorded from fitter and turner

Full index of moves from fitter and turner

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a fitter and turner become an aircraft assembler?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fitter and turner already covers 26% of what an aircraft assembler is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 5 of which the aircraft assembler role treats as required.

What skills does a fitter and turner need to become an aircraft assembler?

13 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is common aviation safety regulations.

How hard is the move from fitter and turner to aircraft assembler?

Its learning distance is 73 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.