Product development engineering technician to mechanical engineering technician
A product development engineering technician already meets 45% of what the mechanical engineering technician role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.1/ 100
1 How much of what a mechanical engineering technician is expected to do is already part of a product development 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 6 of its required skills as things a product development engineering technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- analyse test data
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- mechanics
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 8 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 18 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 product development 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 material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held analyse production processes for improvement information skills
- already held analyse test data information skills
All 18 carried skills, including the 6 the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 missing skills fall into 11 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 nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- still to learn design engineering components required
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- still to learn CAE software required
- still to learn mathematics required
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
5 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 CAE software 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- 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 ensure equipment availability skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- 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 5 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interpret technical requirements optional
- optional, not held maintain power plants optional
- optional, not held create technical plans optional
- optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
- optional, not held health and safety in the workplace optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held monitor nuclear power plant systems optional
- optional, not held nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held oversee quality control optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on installed equipment optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
16 held skills the mechanical engineering technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of materials skill
- not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of products skill
- not needed by the target role assess integrated domotics systems skill
- not needed by the target role circular economy 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 create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan manufacturing processes skill
- not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
- not needed by the target role write stress-strain analysis reports skill
9 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 CAE software required
- still to learn mathematics 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 nuclear energy optional
- optional, not held technical drawings optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Other moves recorded from product development engineering technician
- production engineering technician 57% covered · moderate
- process engineering technician 55% covered · moderate
- industrial engineering technician 52% covered · moderate
- pneumatic engineering technician 47% covered · moderate
Full index of moves from product development engineering technician
Common questions about this move
Can a product development engineering technician become a mechanical engineering technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A product development engineering technician already covers 45% of what a mechanical engineering technician is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 6 of which the mechanical engineering technician role treats as required.
What skills does a product development engineering technician need to become a mechanical engineering technician?
8 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 11 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 product development engineering technician to mechanical engineering technician?
Its learning distance is 55.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.