Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mechanical engineering technician to fluid power engineer

A mechanical engineering technician already meets 58% of what the fluid power engineer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mechanical engineering technician
58 % overlap
Partial match
To fluid power engineer
19 You already bring
6 Still to learn
40 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

44.2/ 100

1 How much of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do is already part of a mechanical engineering technician’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

Why this move works

A fluid power engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineering technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • CAD software
  • adjust engineering designs
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • fluid mechanics
  • mathematics

What stands in the way is 6 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 19 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 mechanical engineering technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held blueprints engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
  • already held fluid mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held CAE software information and communication technologies (icts)

All 19 carried skills, including the 14 the fluid power engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 21 missing skills fall into 6 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 information skills 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn execute feasibility study required
  • still to learn perform scientific research required
  • optional, not held determine production capacity optional
  • optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
  • optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn hydraulic fluid required
  • still to learn hydraulics required
  • optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
  • optional, not held reverse engineering optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn approve engineering design required
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
04 working with computers 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn use technical drawing software required
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
05 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
  • optional, not held pneumatics optional
06 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
Table 4

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

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 19 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held CAD software knowledge
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held fluid mechanics knowledge
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held troubleshoot skill
  • already held use CAD software skill
  • already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
  • already held CAE software knowledge
  • already held blueprints knowledge
  • already held manage supplies skill
  • already held material mechanics knowledge
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
  • optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
  • optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
  • optional, not held determine production capacity optional
  • optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
  • optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations 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 reverse engineering optional
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
20 held skills the fluid power engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
  • not needed by the target role assess operating cost skill
  • not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
  • not needed by the target role define part requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety in the workplace knowledge
  • not needed by the target role interpret technical requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain power plants skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor nuclear power plant systems skill
  • not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
  • not needed by the target role order supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
  • not needed by the target role perform maintenance on installed equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role perform test run skill
  • not needed by the target role record test data skill
  • not needed by the target role technical terminology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use testing equipment skill
6 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 hydraulic fluid required
  • still to learn hydraulics required
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
  • optional, not held pneumatics optional
  • optional, not held quality and cycle time optimisation optional
  • optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Index

Other moves recorded from mechanical engineering technician

Full index of moves from mechanical engineering technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mechanical engineering technician become a fluid power engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineering technician already covers 58% of what a fluid power engineer is expected to do: 19 skills carry over, 14 of which the fluid power engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mechanical engineering technician need to become a fluid power engineer?

6 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is approve engineering design.

How hard is the move from mechanical engineering technician to fluid power engineer?

Its learning distance is 44.2 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.