RecordMove

Production engineer to automotive engineer

A production engineer already meets 43% of what the automotive 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 automotive engineer

14 You already bring

7 Still to learn

55 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an automotive 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 automotive engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An automotive engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a production engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust engineering designs
analyse production processes for improvement
approve engineering design
assess financial viability
control production
engineering principles

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 automotive 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 14 the automotive engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 41 missing skills fall into 13 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 information skills 3 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn anticipate change in car technology required
still to learn execute feasibility study required
still to learn perform market research required

optional, not held compare alternative vehicles optional
optional, not held record test data optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 9 supplementary

still to learn green automotive technologies required
still to learn hybrid vehicle architecture required

optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical testing methods optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held reverse engineering optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn automotive engineering required

optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
optional, not held design electromechanical systems optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional

04 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn information structure required

optional, not held advanced driver assistant systems optional
optional, not held vehicle-to-everything technologies optional
optional, not held CAE software optional

05 management skills 3 supplementary

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

06 working with computers 3 supplementary

optional, not held apply reverse engineering optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

7 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an automotive 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 analyse production processes for improvement skill
already held approve engineering design skill
already held assess financial viability skill
already held control production 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

The 7 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held use automotive diagnostic equipment optional
optional, not held conduct performance tests optional

08 services 2 supplementary

optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held vehicle type-approval optional

09 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

10 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional

11 handling and moving 1 supplementary

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

12 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional

13 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held disassemble equipment optional

34 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional
optional, not held advanced driver assistant systems optional
optional, not held apply reverse engineering optional
optional, not held compare alternative vehicles optional
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held use automotive diagnostic equipment optional
optional, not held vehicle type-approval optional
optional, not held vehicle-to-everything technologies optional
optional, not held CAE software 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 electromechanical systems optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held disassemble equipment optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held electrical testing methods optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional
optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held prepare production prototypes optional
optional, not held record test data optional
optional, not held reverse engineering optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

24 held skills the automotive 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

20 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 green automotive technologies required
still to learn hybrid vehicle architecture required
still to learn information structure required
optional, not held European vehicle type-approval legislation optional
optional, not held advanced driver assistant systems optional
optional, not held defense system optional
optional, not held guidance, navigation and control optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held synthetic natural environment optional
optional, not held vehicle type-approval optional
optional, not held vehicle-to-everything technologies optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held electrical testing methods optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
optional, not held model based system engineering optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held reverse engineering 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 automotive engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A production engineer already covers 43% of what an automotive engineer is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 14 of which the automotive engineer role treats as required.

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

7 required skills are missing, plus 34 optional ones. They fall into 13 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is anticipate change in car technology.

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

Its learning distance is 63.9 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.