RecordMove

Materials engineer to surface engineer

A materials engineer already meets 34% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From materials engineer

Distant match

To surface engineer

11 You already bring

9 Still to learn

38 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

64.5/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a surface engineer is expected to do is already part of a materials 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 surface engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A surface engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a materials engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
engineering principles
engineering processes
manufacturing processes
perform scientific research

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface 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 develop material testing procedures information skills
already held semiconductors engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held types of metal engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 11 carried skills, including the 6 the surface engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 9 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 5 required, 6 supplementary

still to learn industrial engineering required
still to learn production processes required
still to learn safety engineering required
still to learn surface engineering required
still to learn technical drawings required

optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn corrosion types required
still to learn mathematics required

optional, not held physics optional

03 information skills 1 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required

optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional

04 working with computers 1 required

still to learn use technical drawing software required

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional

06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary

optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a surface 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 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held chemistry knowledge
already held develop material testing procedures skill
already held material mechanics knowledge
already held semiconductors knowledge
already held types of metal knowledge

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held environmental legislation optional

08 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held computer simulation optional

09 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste types optional

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held analyse test data optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional
optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

36 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
not needed by the target role advise on pollution prevention skill
not needed by the target role advise on waste management procedures skill
not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role analytical chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
not needed by the target role assess the feasibility of implementing developments skill
not needed by the target role basic chemicals knowledge
not needed by the target role composite materials knowledge
not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
not needed by the target role define quality standards skill
not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
not needed by the target role develop advanced materials skill
not needed by the target role develop chemical products skill
not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
not needed by the target role envelope systems for buildings knowledge
not needed by the target role forecast organisational risks skill
not needed by the target role green chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge
not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role perform chemical experiments skill
not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
not needed by the target role pollution legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role properties of textile materials knowledge
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
not needed by the target role sustainable building materials knowledge
not needed by the target role test chemical samples skill
not needed by the target role test materials skill
not needed by the target role thermoplastic materials knowledge
not needed by the target role types of plastic knowledge
not needed by the target role work with chemicals skill

17 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 corrosion types required
still to learn industrial engineering required
still to learn mathematics required
still to learn production processes required
still to learn safety engineering required
still to learn surface engineering required
still to learn technical drawings required
optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held computer simulation optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional
optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
optional, not held physics optional
optional, not held soldering techniques optional
optional, not held welding techniques optional

Index

Other moves recorded from materials engineer

Full index of moves from materials engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a materials engineer become a surface engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A materials engineer already covers 34% of what a surface engineer is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 6 of which the surface engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a materials engineer need to become a surface engineer?

9 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is corrosion types.

How hard is the move from materials engineer to surface engineer?

Its learning distance is 64.5 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.