Process engineering technician to mechanical engineering technician
A process engineering technician already meets 63% of what the mechanical engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
39.6/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering technician is expected to do is already part of a process 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 mechanical engineering technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mechanical engineering technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things a process engineering technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAE software
- adjust engineering designs
- analyse test data
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- mathematics
What stands in the way is 5 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 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mechanical engineering technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a process engineering technician background worth leading with.
- already held assess operating cost information skills
- already held blueprints engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
- already held perform maintenance on installed equipment constructing
- already held create technical plans management skills
- already held analyse production processes for improvement information skills
All 24 carried skills, including the 9 the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 8 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- still to learn design engineering components required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- still to learn define part requirements required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mechanical engineering technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 mechanical engineering study this
- 03 design engineering components 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 24 skills that carry over
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
- already held assess operating cost skill
- already held blueprints knowledge
- already held create technical plans skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held order supplies skill
- already held oversee quality control skill
- already held perform maintenance on installed equipment skill
- already held perform test run skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
13 held skills the mechanical engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on manufacturing problems skill
- not needed by the target role collaborate with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role conduct routine machinery checks skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
- not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate welding equipment skill
- not needed by the target role production engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role secure working area skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable technologies knowledge
8 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 mechanical engineering required
- still to learn principles of mechanical engineering required
- optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Other moves recorded from process engineering technician
Common questions about this move
Can a process engineering technician become a mechanical engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A process engineering technician already covers 63% of what a mechanical engineering technician is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 9 of which the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does a process engineering technician need to become a mechanical engineering technician?
5 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from process engineering technician to mechanical engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 39.6 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.