Marine electrician to automotive electrician
A marine electrician already meets 45% of what the automotive electrician role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.7/ 100
1 How much of what an automotive electrician is expected to do is already part of a marine electrician’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 automotive electrician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An automotive electrician role treats 11 of its required skills as things a marine electrician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply health and safety standards
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- electronics
- fasten components
- mechanics
What stands in the way is 15 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An automotive electrician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a marine electrician background worth leading with.
- already held install transport equipment batteries working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held install transport equipment lighting working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held repair battery components working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held battery fluids engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held operate battery test equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held battery chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 25 carried skills, including the 11 the automotive electrician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 repair vehicle's electrical equipment required
- still to learn carry out improvised vehicle repairs required
- still to learn install automotive electrical equipment required
- still to learn install car electronics required
- still to learn use specialised tools in electric repairs required
- optional, not held repair vehicle electrical systems optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical engines optional
- still to learn automotive diagnostic equipment required
- still to learn vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn energy storage systems required
- still to learn mechanics of motor vehicles required
- still to learn types of vehicles required
- still to learn perform vehicle diagnostic procedures required
- still to learn use automotive diagnostic equipment required
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held test electronic units optional
- still to learn perform manual work autonomously required
- optional, not held clean vehicle exterior optional
- optional, not held position vehicles for maintenance and repair optional
- optional, not held execute vehicle maintenance optional
- still to learn inspect for faults in the vehicle's electric system required
- optional, not held keep stock records optional
- optional, not held maintain vehicle records optional
- optional, not held perform road testing of vehicles optional
- still to learn car controls required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an automotive electrician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 inspect for faults in the vehicle's electric system practise this
- 02 perform vehicle diagnostic procedures practise this
- 03 repair vehicle's electrical 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held fasten components skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform test run skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held apply soldering techniques skill
- already held battery chemistry knowledge
- already held battery components knowledge
- already held battery fluids knowledge
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held diagnose defective engines skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held install transport equipment batteries skill
- already held install transport equipment lighting skill
- already held maintain electrical equipment skill
- already held operate battery test equipment skill
- already held operate soldering equipment skill
- already held repair battery components skill
- already held write records for repairs skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held clean vehicle exterior optional
- optional, not held keep stock records optional
- optional, not held maintain vehicle records optional
- optional, not held position vehicles for maintenance and repair optional
- optional, not held repair vehicle electrical systems optional
- optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held ensure client orientation optional
- optional, not held execute vehicle maintenance optional
- optional, not held maintain electrical engines optional
- optional, not held perform road testing of vehicles optional
- optional, not held provide customer follow-up services optional
- optional, not held test electronic units optional
12 held skills the automotive electrician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role electrical testing methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring diagrams knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronic test procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- not needed by the target role install electrical equipment in vessels skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel technical equipment according to instructions skill
- not needed by the target role maritime electric drives knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role repair vessel electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role test electrical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role types of maritime vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role vessel electrical system knowledge
6 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 automotive diagnostic equipment required
- still to learn car controls required
- still to learn vehicle electrical systems required
- still to learn energy storage systems required
- still to learn mechanics of motor vehicles required
- still to learn types of vehicles required
Common questions about this move
Can a marine electrician become an automotive electrician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A marine electrician already covers 45% of what an automotive electrician is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 11 of which the automotive electrician role treats as required.
What skills does a marine electrician need to become an automotive electrician?
15 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is inspect for faults in the vehicle's electric system.
How hard is the move from marine electrician to automotive electrician?
Its learning distance is 64.7 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.