Industrial robot controller to automation engineering technician
An industrial robot controller already meets 29% of what the automation engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 24 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.9/ 100
1 How much of what an automation engineering technician is expected to do is already part of an industrial robot controller’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 automation engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An automation engineering technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things an industrial robot controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble sensors
- automation technology
- inspect quality of products
- maintain robotic equipment
- monitor automated machines
- record test data
What stands in the way is 24 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. An automation engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial robot controller background worth leading with.
- already held maintain control systems for automated equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held assemble sensors handling and moving
- already held install software working with computers
- already held replace machines information skills
- already held robotic components engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held set up automotive robot working with computers
All 17 carried skills, including the 9 the automation engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 40 missing skills fall into 11 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn computer engineering required
- still to learn control engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn mechatronics required
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held marine technology optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn assist scientific research required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
- still to learn assemble mechatronic units required
- still to learn align components required
- still to learn assemble machines required
- still to learn fasten components required
- still to learn test mechatronic units required
- still to learn perform test run required
- still to learn test sensors required
- still to learn automatic control system required
- still to learn microprocessors required
- optional, not held firmware optional
- still to learn interpret circuit diagrams required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an automation engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble mechatronic units practise this
- 02 install automation components practise this
- 03 install mechatronic equipment 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 assemble sensors skill
- already held automation technology knowledge
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held maintain robotic equipment skill
- already held monitor automated machines skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held robotic components knowledge
- already held robotics knowledge
- already held set up machine controls skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held install software skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held maintain control systems for automated equipment skill
- already held replace machines skill
- already held sensors knowledge
- already held set up automotive robot skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn install automation components required
- optional, not held assemble hardware components optional
- optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
- optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- still to learn install mechatronic equipment required
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held follow standards for machinery safety optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held follow standards for machinery safety optional
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
- optional, not held assemble hardware components optional
- optional, not held customise software for drive system optional
- optional, not held firmware optional
- optional, not held follow work schedule optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held marine technology optional
- optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
- optional, not held program firmware optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held write technical reports optional
16 held skills the automation engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAM software knowledge
- not needed by the target role adjust manufacturing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role assemble robots skill
- not needed by the target role cost management knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role optimise financial performance skill
- not needed by the target role optimise production skill
- not needed by the target role perform machine maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
- not needed by the target role solve technical problems skill
- not needed by the target role supply machine with appropriate tools skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill
13 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn automatic control system required
- still to learn computer engineering required
- still to learn control engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- still to learn mechatronics required
- still to learn microprocessors required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held firmware optional
- optional, not held marine technology optional
- optional, not held programmable logic controller optional
Other moves recorded from industrial robot controller
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial robot controller become an automation engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An industrial robot controller already covers 29% of what an automation engineering technician is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 9 of which the automation engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial robot controller need to become an automation engineering technician?
24 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is assemble mechatronic units.
How hard is the move from industrial robot controller to automation engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 76.9 out of 100, which is the career change 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.