Fluid power engineer to industrial tool design engineer
A fluid power engineer already meets 62% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.5/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of a fluid power 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 industrial tool design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An industrial tool design engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a fluid power engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- design prototypes
- execute feasibility study
- mathematics
What stands in the way is 10 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial tool design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fluid power engineer background worth leading with.
- already held determine production capacity information skills
- already held reverse engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held determine production feasibility information skills
- already held monitor production developments information skills
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
- already held plan manufacturing processes management skills
All 28 carried skills, including the 14 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 6 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 industrial tools required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- still to learn define part requirements required
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- still to learn use specialised design software required
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an industrial tool design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 identify customer's needs practise this
- 03 industrial tools 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 28 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held execute feasibility study skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held determine production capacity skill
- already held determine production feasibility skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held monitor production developments skill
- already held plan manufacturing processes skill
- already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- already held reverse engineering knowledge
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
12 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role fluid mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulic fluid knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role pneumatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
- not needed by the target role use CAM software skill
5 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 tools required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
Common questions about this move
Can a fluid power engineer become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A fluid power engineer already covers 62% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 14 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a fluid power engineer need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from fluid power engineer to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 43.5 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.