Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Packing machinery engineer to tooling engineer

A packing machinery engineer already meets 68% of what the tooling 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 packing machinery engineer
68 % overlap
Strong match
To tooling engineer
30 You already bring
6 Still to learn
52 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

39.5/ 100

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

Why

Why this move works

A tooling engineer role treats 22 of its required skills as things a packing machinery engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • CAD software
  • CAE software
  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • determine production feasibility
  • engineering principles

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 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tooling engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a packing machinery engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held determine production capacity information skills
  • already held determine production feasibility information skills
  • already held monitor production developments information skills
  • already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
  • already held plan manufacturing processes management skills
  • already held estimate duration of work information skills

All 30 carried skills, including the 22 the tooling engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 22 missing skills fall into 10 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 7 supplementary
  • still to learn create a product's virtual model required
  • optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
  • optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
  • optional, not held render 3D images optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn reverse engineering required
  • optional, not held electromechanics optional
03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn physics required
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
04 arts and humanities 1 required
  • still to learn multimedia systems required
05 handling and moving 1 required
  • still to learn build a product's physical model required
06 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required
  • still to learn ICT software specifications required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a tooling 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 30 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held CAD software knowledge
  • already held CAE software knowledge
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held determine production feasibility skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held estimate duration of work skill
  • already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
  • already held industrial engineering knowledge
  • already held manufacturing processes knowledge
  • already held mathematics knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held production processes knowledge
  • already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
  • already held quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use CAD software skill
  • already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
  • already held determine production capacity skill
  • already held manage supplies skill
  • already held material mechanics knowledge
  • already held monitor production developments skill
  • already held plan manufacturing processes skill
  • already held set up the controller of a machine skill
  • already held use CAM software skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 assisting and caring 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
08 information skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
  • optional, not held perform market research optional
09 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
10 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held plan allocation of space optional
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
  • optional, not held advise customers on new equipment optional
  • optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
  • optional, not held attend trade fairs optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held design prototypes optional
  • optional, not held electromechanics optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
  • optional, not held manage health and safety standards optional
  • optional, not held operate precision measuring equipment optional
  • optional, not held perform market research optional
  • optional, not held render 3D images optional
  • optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
10 held skills the tooling engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role analyse packaging requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role automatic control system knowledge
  • not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role packaging engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role plan new packaging designs skill
  • not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
  • not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
  • not needed by the target role types of packaging materials knowledge
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 ICT software specifications required
  • still to learn multimedia systems required
  • still to learn physics required
  • still to learn reverse engineering required
  • optional, not held 3D modelling optional
  • optional, not held electromechanics optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a packing machinery engineer become a tooling engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A packing machinery engineer already covers 68% of what a tooling engineer is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 22 of which the tooling engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a packing machinery engineer need to become a tooling engineer?

6 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ICT software specifications.

How hard is the move from packing machinery engineer to tooling engineer?

Its learning distance is 39.5 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.