Table 1Transition record

health and safety engineertosurface engineer

A health and safety engineer already meets 32% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From health and safety engineer

32%

Overlap1

To surface engineer

10 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

65.7 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

32%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.7/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the surface engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the health and safety engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A surface engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a health and safety engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
engineering principles
engineering processes
perform scientific research
safety engineering

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a health and safety engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held develop material testing procedures information skills
already held safety engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held environmental legislation business, administration and law
already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
already held physics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the surface engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 28 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 5 required, 9 supplementary

required, not held industrial engineering required
required, not held manufacturing processes required
required, not held production processes required
required, not held surface engineering required
required, not held technical drawings required

optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required

required, not held corrosion types required
required, not held mathematics required

03 information skills 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations required

optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional

04 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use technical drawing software required

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional

06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary

optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a surface engineer 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 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held safety engineering knowledge
already held chemistry knowledge
already held develop material testing procedures skill
already held environmental legislation knowledge
already held physics knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held computer simulation optional

08 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste types optional

19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

52 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role accept own accountability skill
not needed by the target role adhere to OHSAS 18001 skill
not needed by the target role adhere to health well-being and safety skill
not needed by the target role adhere to standards of national and international safety programmes skill
not needed by the target role advise architects skill
not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
not needed by the target role advise on safety improvements skill
not needed by the target role apply knowledge of human behaviour skill
not needed by the target role assess ergonomics of the workplace skill
not needed by the target role assessment of risks and threats knowledge
not needed by the target role carry out environmental audits skill
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role conduct fire safety inspections skill
not needed by the target role conduct fire tests skill
not needed by the target role conduct workplace audits skill
not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
not needed by the target role design safety equipment skill
not needed by the target role design strategies for nuclear emergencies skill
not needed by the target role determine fire risks skill
not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
not needed by the target role draw up risk assessment skill
not needed by the target role educate employees on occupational hazards skill
not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
not needed by the target role evaluate industrial hygiene skill
not needed by the target role fire prevention procedures knowledge
not needed by the target role fire protection engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
not needed by the target role follow nuclear plant safety precautions skill
not needed by the target role follow up on safety breaches skill
not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role human factors regarding safety knowledge
not needed by the target role install safety devices skill
not needed by the target role instruct employees on radiation protection skill
not needed by the target role investigate occupational injuries skill
not needed by the target role monitor employee's health skill
not needed by the target role monitor work site skill
not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
not needed by the target role plan health and safety procedures skill

12 further entries not listed here

18 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 acquire Tier

required, not held corrosion types required
required, not held industrial engineering required
required, not held manufacturing processes required
required, not held mathematics required
required, not held production processes required
required, not held surface engineering required
required, not held technical drawings required
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held semiconductors optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held types of metal optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

Index

Other moves recorded from health and safety engineer

Full index of moves from health and safety engineer

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.