Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Industrial engineer to tooling engineer

An industrial engineer already meets 51% of what the tooling engineer 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 industrial engineer
51 % overlap
Partial match
To tooling engineer
25 You already bring
13 Still to learn
52 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

55.9/ 100

1 How much of what a tooling engineer 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 tooling engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A tooling engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things an industrial engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • CAD software
  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • execute analytical mathematical calculations

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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tooling engineer 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.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held determine production capacity information skills
  • already held plan manufacturing processes management skills
  • already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held 3D modelling natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 25 carried skills, including the 15 the tooling engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 10 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 information skills 4 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn determine production feasibility required
  • still to learn estimate duration of work required
  • still to learn perform scientific research required
  • still to learn provide cost benefit analysis reports required
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held perform market research optional
02 working with computers 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
  • still to learn use technical drawing software required
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
03 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required
  • still to learn quality and cycle time optimisation required
  • still to learn reverse engineering required
04 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 required
  • still to learn ICT software specifications required
  • still to learn CAE software required
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn create a product's virtual model required
  • optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
  • optional, not held render 3D images optional
06 arts and humanities 1 required
  • still to learn multimedia systems required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a tooling 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 25 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held CAD software knowledge
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
  • already held industrial engineering knowledge
  • already held manufacturing processes knowledge
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held physics knowledge
  • already held production processes knowledge
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use CAD software skill
  • already held 3D modelling knowledge
  • already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
  • already held communicate with customers skill
  • already held design prototypes skill
  • already held determine production capacity skill
  • already held electromechanics knowledge
  • already held liaise with engineers skill
  • already held material mechanics knowledge
  • already held plan manufacturing processes skill
  • already held train employees skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 handling and moving 1 required
  • still to learn build a product's physical model required
08 management skills 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held manage supplies optional
  • optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
09 assisting and caring 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
  • optional, not held manage supplies optional
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
  • optional, not held perform market research optional
  • optional, not held render 3D images optional
  • optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
52 held skills the tooling engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 apply advanced manufacturing 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 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 drawings knowledge
  • not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
  • 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 electronics 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 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
  • not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
  • not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
  • not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mechatronics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role microelectromechanical systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role microelectronics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role optimise production skill
  • not needed by the target role optimise production processes parameters skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee assembly operations skill

12 further entries not listed here

5 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 ICT software specifications required
  • still to learn CAE software required
  • still to learn multimedia systems required
  • still to learn quality and cycle time optimisation required
  • still to learn reverse engineering required
Index

Other moves recorded from industrial engineer

Full index of moves from industrial engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an industrial engineer become a tooling engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An industrial engineer already covers 51% of what a tooling engineer is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 15 of which the tooling engineer role treats as required.

What skills does an industrial engineer need to become a tooling engineer?

13 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is ICT software specifications.

How hard is the move from industrial engineer to tooling engineer?

Its learning distance is 55.9 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.