Industrial designer to product development engineering drafter
An industrial designer already meets 44% of what the product development engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.8/ 100
1 How much of what a product development engineering drafter is expected to do is already part of an industrial designer’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 product development engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A product development engineering drafter role treats 6 of its required skills as things an industrial designer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- mathematics
- use CAD software
- use technical drawing software
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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A product development engineering drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial designer background worth leading with.
- already held design management business, administration and law
- already held build a product's physical model handling and moving
- already held draw design sketches communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held draw blueprints communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held create a product's virtual model communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 17 carried skills, including the 6 the product development engineering drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 7 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 circular economy required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- still to learn create technical plans required
- still to learn provide technical documentation required
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn use CADD software required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a product development engineering drafter 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 circular economy study this
- 03 create technical plans 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 17 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held build a product's physical model skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held design management knowledge
- already held design principles knowledge
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held draw blueprints skill
- already held draw design sketches skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held product data management optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
50 held skills the product development engineering drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role adapt to new design materials skill
- not needed by the target role aesthetics knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply 3D imaging techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role attend design meetings skill
- not needed by the target role build jewellery models skill
- not needed by the target role calculate design costs skill
- not needed by the target role calculate materials to build equipment skill
- not needed by the target role ceramic ware knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research on trends in design skill
- not needed by the target role consult with design team skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role design package skill
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role determine production feasibility skill
- not needed by the target role determine suitability of materials skill
- not needed by the target role develop jewellery designs skill
- not needed by the target role ergonomics knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role human-robot collaboration knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role industrial design knowledge
- not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor production developments skill
- not needed by the target role perform ideation activities skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
- not needed by the target role perform project management skill
- not needed by the target role plan event marketing for promotional campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role pneumatics knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
10 further entries not listed here
9 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 circular economy required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held electronics optional
- optional, not held industrial research and development optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
Other moves recorded from industrial designer
- ergonomist 81% covered · adjacent
- furniture designer 46% covered · substantial
- design engineer 41% covered · substantial
- engine designer 41% covered · substantial
- automotive designer 38% covered · substantial
- industrial tool design engineer 38% covered · substantial
- container equipment design engineer 36% covered · substantial
- tooling engineer 36% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial designer become a product development engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An industrial designer already covers 44% of what a product development engineering drafter is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 6 of which the product development engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial designer need to become a product development engineering drafter?
10 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 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 industrial designer to product development engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 54.8 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.