Marine engineer to fluid power engineer
A marine engineer already meets 47% of what the fluid power engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
54.2/ 100
1 How much of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do is already part of a marine 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 fluid power engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A fluid power engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a marine engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- mathematics
- mechanical engineering
What stands in the way is 9 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A fluid power engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a marine 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 design prototypes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held CAE software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held use CAM software working with computers
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
All 16 carried skills, including the 11 the fluid power engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
- still to learn CAD software required
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a fluid power 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 · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held use CAM software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held determine production capacity optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
56 held skills the fluid power engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of products skill
- not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
- not needed by the target role assemble mechatronic units skill
- not needed by the target role assessment of risks and threats knowledge
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role battery chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role battery components knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemical products knowledge
- not needed by the target role cloud technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role composite materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct energy audit skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role disassemble engines skill
- not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role inspect engine rooms skill
- not needed by the target role install automation components skill
- not needed by the target role install mechatronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role lead a team in fishery services skill
- not needed by the target role lubricate engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain robotic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safe engineering watches skill
- not needed by the target role maintain shipboard machinery skill
- not needed by the target role manage engine-room resources skill
- not needed by the target role manage the operation of propulsion plant machinery skill
- not needed by the target role marine engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role marine technology knowledge
- 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 mechatronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role naval architecture knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate marine machinery systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate ship propulsion system skill
- not needed by the target role perform small vessel safety measures skill
- not needed by the target role perform small vessel safety procedures skill
16 further entries not listed here
10 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 CAD software required
- still to learn fluid mechanics required
- still to learn hydraulic fluid required
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held pneumatics optional
- optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a marine engineer become a fluid power engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A marine engineer already covers 47% of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 11 of which the fluid power engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a marine engineer need to become a fluid power engineer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is CAD software.
How hard is the move from marine engineer to fluid power engineer?
Its learning distance is 54.2 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.