RecordMove

Production engineer to aerospace engineer

A production engineer already meets 44% of what the aerospace engineer role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From production engineer

Partial match

To aerospace engineer

14 You already bring

7 Still to learn

47 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

59.2/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

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

Why

Why this move works

An aerospace engineer role treats 12 of its required skills as things a production engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust engineering designs
approve engineering design
assess financial viability
engineering principles
engineering processes
industrial engineering

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aerospace engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a production engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held control production management skills
already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held assess financial viability information skills
already held analyse production processes for improvement information skills
already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity

All 14 carried skills, including the 12 the aerospace engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 33 missing skills fall into 12 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn aerospace engineering required
still to learn aircraft mechanics required
still to learn safety engineering required

optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held aerodynamics optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held state estimation optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn troubleshoot required

optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional

03 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn execute feasibility study required

optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional
optional, not held record test data optional

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn computer simulation required

optional, not held CAE software optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn ensure aircraft compliance with regulation required

06 management skills 4 supplementary

optional, not held plan test flights optional
optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an aerospace 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 14 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held assess financial viability skill
already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held industrial engineering knowledge
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held production processes knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
already held control production skill

The 6 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary

optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional

08 services 2 supplementary

optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional

09 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

10 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

11 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional

12 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held build a product's physical model optional

26 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held plan test flights optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held aerodynamics optional
optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
optional, not held oversee assembly operations optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held state estimation optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

24 held skills the aerospace engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust production schedule skill
not needed by the target role advise on machinery malfunctions skill
not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
not needed by the target role control of expenses skill
not needed by the target role develop product design skill
not needed by the target role ensure equipment availability skill
not needed by the target role ensure equipment maintenance skill
not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
not needed by the target role execute feasibility study on hydrogen skill
not needed by the target role identify training needs skill
not needed by the target role implement quality management systems skill
not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage human resources skill
not needed by the target role manage staff skill
not needed by the target role optimise production skill
not needed by the target role production engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role schedule production skill
not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill

17 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 aerospace engineering required
still to learn aircraft mechanics required
still to learn computer simulation required
still to learn safety engineering required
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held stealth technology optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held unmanned air systems optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held aerodynamics optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held fluid mechanics optional
optional, not held material mechanics optional
optional, not held mathematical modelling optional
optional, not held state estimation optional

Index

Other moves recorded from production engineer

Full index of moves from production engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a production engineer become an aerospace engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A production engineer already covers 44% of what an aerospace engineer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 12 of which the aerospace engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a production engineer need to become an aerospace engineer?

7 required skills are missing, plus 26 optional ones. They fall into 12 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is ensure aircraft compliance with regulation.

How hard is the move from production engineer to aerospace engineer?

Its learning distance is 59.2 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.