Industrial engineer to mechanical engineering drafter
An industrial engineer already meets 54% of what the mechanical engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
44.1/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering drafter is expected to do is already part of an industrial 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 mechanical engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering drafter role treats 9 of its required skills as things an industrial engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- design drawings
- liaise with engineers
- mathematics
- mechanical engineering
- mechanics
What stands in the way is 5 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical engineering drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial engineer background worth leading with.
- already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held physics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 13 carried skills, including the 9 the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 8 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 create solutions to problems required
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held define part requirements optional
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create solutions to problems practise this
- 02 create technical plans practise this
- 03 manual draughting techniques 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held physics knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held define part requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held draft design specifications optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
64 held skills the mechanical engineering drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on manufacturing problems skill
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply advanced manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role build machines skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
- not needed by the target role control production skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role design automation components skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role determine production capacity skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role develop production line skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
- not needed by the target role industrial tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain industrial equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
24 further entries not listed here
3 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 manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
Other moves recorded from industrial engineer
- production engineer 67% covered · moderate
- container equipment design engineer 60% covered · moderate
- industrial tool design engineer 58% covered · moderate
- surface engineer 57% covered · moderate
- manufacturing engineer 56% covered · moderate
- rolling stock engineer 55% covered · moderate
- packing machinery engineer 55% covered · moderate
- rotating equipment engineer 55% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial engineer become a mechanical engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An industrial engineer already covers 54% of what a mechanical engineering drafter is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial engineer need to become a mechanical engineering drafter?
5 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create solutions to problems.
How hard is the move from industrial engineer to mechanical engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 44.1 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.