Table 1Transition record

materials engineertochemical engineer

A materials engineer already meets 49% of what the chemical engineer role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

From materials engineer

49%

Overlap1

To chemical engineer

41 Skills carried over

3 Required, not held

62.7 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

49%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

62.7/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the chemical engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the materials engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A chemical engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things a materials engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

adjust engineering designs
analytical chemistry
apply health and safety standards
approve engineering design
assess environmental impact
chemistry

What stands in the way is 3 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 41 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chemical engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a materials engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held thermoplastic materials natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held develop chemical products communication, collaboration and creativity
already held test materials information skills
already held assess the feasibility of implementing developments information skills
already held green chemistry engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held forecast organisational risks information skills

All 41 carried skills, including the 15 the chemical engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 65 missing skills fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 10 supplementary

required, not held spectroscopy required

optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held good manufacturing practices optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held nanotechnology optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held packaging engineering optional
optional, not held safety engineering optional
optional, not held types of packaging materials optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 8 supplementary

required, not held oxidation required

optional, not held biological chemistry optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held biology optional
optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical chemistry optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held toxicology optional

03 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held develop components separation processes required

optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional

04 information skills 12 supplementary

optional, not held assess hydrogen production technologies optional
optional, not held evaluate pharmaceutical manufacturing process optional
optional, not held examine samples in dermatology optional
optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
optional, not held test pharmaceutical process optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held contribute to registration of pharmaceutical products optional
optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
optional, not held manage chemical testing procedures optional
optional, not held monitor plant production optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held write batch record documentation optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 11 supplementary

optional, not held explain the molecular basis of a disease to patients optional
optional, not held manage pharmaceutical production facilities construction optional
optional, not held provide information on hydrogen optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held design optical systems optional
optional, not held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
optional, not held improve chemical processes optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
optional, not held write technical reports optional

06 health and welfare 7 supplementary

optional, not held drug administration regulations optional
optional, not held human physiology optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical drug development optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical industry optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical manufacturing quality systems optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical technology optional
optional, not held pharmacovigilance legislation optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a chemical 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 41 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held analytical chemistry knowledge
already held apply health and safety standards skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held assess environmental impact skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held forecast organisational risks skill
already held green chemistry knowledge
already held materials engineering knowledge
already held perform chemical experiments skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held test chemical samples skill
already held work with chemicals skill
already held advise on pollution prevention skill
already held advise on waste management procedures skill
already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
already held assess the feasibility of implementing developments skill
already held basic chemicals knowledge
already held composite materials knowledge
already held create solutions to problems skill
already held define quality standards skill
already held design prototypes skill
already held develop chemical products skill
already held develop material testing procedures skill
already held electricity knowledge
already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held material mechanics knowledge
already held mechanics knowledge
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held pollution legislation knowledge
already held properties of textile materials knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held semiconductors knowledge
already held test materials skill
already held thermoplastic materials knowledge
already held types of metal knowledge
already held types of plastic knowledge

The 6 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 4 supplementary

optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
optional, not held supply chain management optional

08 assisting and caring 3 supplementary

optional, not held test production input materials optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional

09 information and communication technologies (icts) 2 supplementary

optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held industrial software optional

10 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use technical drawing software optional

11 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

12 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held use chemical analysis equipment optional

62 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held assess hydrogen production technologies optional
optional, not held biological chemistry optional
optional, not held drug administration regulations optional
optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held evaluate pharmaceutical manufacturing process optional
optional, not held examine samples in dermatology optional
optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
optional, not held explain the molecular basis of a disease to patients optional
optional, not held good manufacturing practices optional
optional, not held manage pharmaceutical production facilities construction optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held provide information on hydrogen optional
optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held test pharmaceutical process optional
optional, not held test production input materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held biology optional
optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held conduct public presentations optional
optional, not held contribute to registration of pharmaceutical products optional
optional, not held design optical systems optional
optional, not held design pharmaceutical manufacturing systems optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held develop pharmaceutical drugs optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
optional, not held establish collaborative relations optional
optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
optional, not held human physiology optional
optional, not held improve chemical processes optional
optional, not held industrial software optional
optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held manage chemical testing procedures optional
optional, not held monitor plant production optional
optional, not held nanotechnology optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional

22 further entries not listed here

6 held skills the chemical engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
not needed by the target role develop advanced materials skill
not needed by the target role envelope systems for buildings knowledge
not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
not needed by the target role sustainable building materials knowledge

34 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 acquire Tier

required, not held oxidation required
required, not held spectroscopy required
optional, not held biological chemistry optional
optional, not held drug administration regulations optional
optional, not held electrical instrumentation engineering optional
optional, not held good manufacturing practices optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held software architecture models optional
optional, not held biology optional
optional, not held chemical preservation optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held human physiology optional
optional, not held industrial software optional
optional, not held intellectual property law optional
optional, not held nanotechnology optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held packaging engineering optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical chemistry optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical drug development optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical industry optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical legislation optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical manufacturing quality systems optional
optional, not held pharmaceutical technology optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held pharmacovigilance legislation optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held quality assurance methodologies optional
optional, not held safety engineering optional
optional, not held supply chain management optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held types of packaging materials optional

Index

Other moves recorded from materials engineer

Full index of moves from materials engineer

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.