Powertrain engineer to mechanical engineering drafter
A powertrain engineer already meets 51% of what the mechanical engineering drafter role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
47/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical 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 mechanical engineering drafter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering drafter role treats 8 of its required skills as things a powertrain engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- design drawings
- liaise with engineers
- mechanical engineering
- mechanics
- principles of mechanical engineering
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 · What you already bring
Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical 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 use CADD software working with computers
- already held CADD software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held draft design specifications communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held design drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 13 carried skills, including the 8 the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 7 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 create solutions to problems required
- still to learn use manual draughting techniques required
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- still to learn manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn create technical plans required
- optional, not held define part requirements optional
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering drafter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 create solutions to problems practise 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held CADD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held draft design specifications skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held use CADD software skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held define part requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held calculate materials to build equipment optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held read standard blueprints optional
- optional, not held review drafts optional
124 held skills the mechanical engineering drafter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE 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
84 further entries not listed here
6 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 manual draughting techniques required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn technical drawings required
- optional, not held 3D modelling optional
- optional, not held blueprints optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a powertrain engineer become a mechanical engineering drafter?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A powertrain engineer already covers 51% of what a mechanical engineering drafter is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 8 of which the mechanical engineering drafter role treats as required.
What skills does a powertrain engineer need to become a mechanical engineering drafter?
6 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is create solutions to problems.
How hard is the move from powertrain engineer to mechanical engineering drafter?
Its learning distance is 47 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.