Powertrain engineer to automotive engineering drafter
A powertrain engineer already meets 54% of what the automotive engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.6/ 100
1 How much of what an automotive engineering drafter is expected to do is already part of a powertrain 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 automotive engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An automotive engineering drafter role treats 12 of its required skills as things a powertrain engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- design drawings
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- green automotive technologies
What stands in the way is 7 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An automotive engineering drafter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a powertrain engineer background worth leading with.
- already held hybrid vehicle architecture engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held green automotive technologies engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use CADD software working with computers
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 16 carried skills, including the 12 the automotive engineering drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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.
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn ICT software specifications required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an automotive engineering drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT software specifications study this
- 02 create technical plans practise this
- 03 manual draughting techniques study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held green automotive technologies knowledge
- already held hybrid vehicle architecture knowledge
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use CADD software skill
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held product data management optional
- optional, not held defense system optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held defense system optional
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held develop assembly instructions optional
- optional, not held draw blueprints optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
- optional, not held render 3D images optional
- optional, not held use spreadsheets software optional
121 held skills the automotive engineering drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CADD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role Prototyping development knowledge
- not needed by the target role advanced driver assistant systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role anticipate change in car technology skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
- not needed by the target role assemble automotive batteries skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role assess powertrain skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role battery components knowledge
- not needed by the target role calibrate electromechanical system skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate engines skill
- not needed by the target role car controls knowledge
- not needed by the target role collaborate with designers skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role compare alternative vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role computer technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role control engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role control the performance of the vehicle skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role create CAD drawings skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role describe electric drive system skill
- not needed by the target role design chassis skill
- not needed by the target role design control systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electromechanical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
- not needed by the target role design hybrid operating strategies skill
- not needed by the target role design power electronics skill
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role design sensors skill
- not needed by the target role develop electronic test procedures skill
81 further entries not listed here
11 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 ICT software specifications required
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held defense system optional
- optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
- optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held electromechanics optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held product data management optional
Common questions about this move
Can a powertrain engineer become an automotive engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A powertrain engineer already covers 54% of what an automotive engineering drafter is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 12 of which the automotive engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does a powertrain engineer need to become an automotive engineering drafter?
7 required skills are missing, plus 13 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 powertrain engineer to automotive engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 48.6 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.