Ordinary seaman to ship assistant engineer
An ordinary seaman already meets 22% of what the ship assistant engineer role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.4/ 100
1 How much of what a ship assistant engineer is expected to do is already part of an ordinary seaman’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 ship assistant engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A ship assistant engineer role treats 6 of its required skills as things an ordinary seaman already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
- maintain vessel engine room
- moor vessels
- unmoor vessels
- use different types of fire extinguishers
- use maritime English
What stands in the way is 20 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A ship assistant engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ordinary seaman background worth leading with.
- already held maintain vessel engine room constructing
- already held moor vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held unmoor vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use different types of fire extinguishers assisting and caring
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services
- already held use maritime English communication, collaboration and creativity
All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the ship assistant engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 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.
- still to learn manage on-board water systems required
- still to learn manage ship electrical systems required
- still to learn manage vessel engines and systems required
- still to learn operate diesel propulsion plants required
- still to learn operate sewage treatment plans on ships required
- still to learn operate vessel engine room required
- still to learn prepare engine room for operation required
- still to learn prepare lifeboats required
- still to learn repair vessel mechanical systems required
- still to learn provide support in vessel machinery systems required
- still to learn regulation on the discharge of raw materials into the sea required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- still to learn perform routine lube oil tests required
- still to learn maintain vessel inventory required
- optional, not held stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology optional
- still to learn operate fire extinguishers required
- optional, not held apply vessel engine regulations optional
- still to learn perform routine maintenance of ship engines required
- optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
- still to learn perform bunkering required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a ship assistant engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage on-board water systems practise this
- 02 manage ship electrical systems practise this
- 03 perform routine lube oil tests 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
- already held maintain vessel engine room skill
- already held moor vessels skill
- already held unmoor vessels skill
- already held use different types of fire extinguishers skill
- already held use maritime English skill
- already held act reliably skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
- optional, not held advise on maritime regulations optional
- optional, not held physics optional
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
- optional, not held advise on maritime regulations optional
- optional, not held apply vessel engine regulations optional
- optional, not held detect malfunctions in engines optional
- optional, not held stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology optional
- optional, not held physics optional
26 held skills the ship assistant engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist water-based navigation skill
- not needed by the target role clean ships skill
- not needed by the target role follow hygienic procedures during food processing skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role handle cargo skill
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role inspect construction of ships skill
- not needed by the target role load cargo onto ships skill
- not needed by the target role maintain ropes skill
- not needed by the target role maintain ship brightwork skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel safety and emergency equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate sails on vessels skill
- not needed by the target role operate life-saving appliances skill
- not needed by the target role perform lookout duties during maritime operations skill
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role physical parts of the vessel knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of cargo stowage knowledge
- not needed by the target role secure cargo on ships skill
- not needed by the target role secure ships using rope skill
- not needed by the target role sort waste skill
- not needed by the target role swim skill
- not needed by the target role types of maritime vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role vessel safety equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role work in a water transport team skill
7 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 regulation on the discharge of raw materials into the sea required
- still to learn electrical systems used in transportation required
- still to learn operation of different engines required
- still to learn engine components required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held International Maritime Organisation conventions optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ordinary seaman become a ship assistant engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An ordinary seaman already covers 22% of what a ship assistant engineer is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the ship assistant engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an ordinary seaman need to become a ship assistant engineer?
20 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is manage on-board water systems.
How hard is the move from ordinary seaman to ship assistant engineer?
Its learning distance is 80.4 out of 100, which is the career change 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.