Table 1Transition record

ship assistant engineertomarine chief engineer

A ship assistant engineer already meets 21% of what the marine chief engineer role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.

From ship assistant engineer

21%

Overlap1

To marine chief engineer

9 Skills carried over

16 Required, not held

83.2 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

21%

Learning distance A rebuild

83.2/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the marine chief engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the ship assistant engineer profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A marine chief engineer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a ship assistant engineer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System
electrical systems used in transportation
maintain vessel engine room
maintain vessel inventory
operate vessel engine room
principles of mechanical engineering

What stands in the way is 16 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A marine chief engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a ship assistant engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held maintain vessel inventory information skills
already held repair vessel mechanical systems working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held operate vessel engine room working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held maintain vessel engine room constructing
already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System services

All 9 carried skills, including the 8 the marine chief engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 60 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held electronics principles required
required, not held maritime electric drives required
required, not held electronics required
required, not held mechanical tools required

optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held mechanics optional
optional, not held pollution prevention optional

02 information skills 4 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held carry out navigational calculations required
required, not held maintain voyage logs required
required, not held analyse work-related written reports required
required, not held conduct financial audits required

optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required, 9 supplementary

required, not held repair vessel electrical systems required
required, not held operate mechanical equipment of ships required

optional, not held manage the operation of propulsion plant machinery optional
optional, not held operate life-saving appliances optional
optional, not held operate marine machinery systems optional
optional, not held operate pumping systems optional
optional, not held operate ship propulsion system optional
optional, not held operate ship rescue machinery optional
optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
optional, not held maintain shipboard machinery optional

04 management skills 2 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held manage staff required
required, not held perform quality audits required

optional, not held lead a team in fishery services optional
optional, not held manage engine-room resources optional
optional, not held manage ship emergency plans optional
optional, not held coordinate fire fighting optional
optional, not held supervise crew optional

05 business, administration and law 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held international regulations for preventing collisions at sea required
required, not held International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships required

optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held ship related legislative requirements optional

06 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held communicate verbal instructions required

optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
optional, not held prevent fires on board optional
optional, not held swim optional
optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
optional, not held approve engineering design optional
optional, not held train employees optional

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a marine chief 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 9 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
already held maintain vessel engine room skill
already held maintain vessel inventory skill
already held operate vessel engine room skill
already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
already held repair vessel mechanical systems skill
already held use maritime English skill
already held act reliably skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 services 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held physical parts of the vessel required

optional, not held fire-fighting systems optional

08 assisting and caring 9 supplementary

optional, not held ensure vessel compliance with regulations optional
optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct in transport services optional
optional, not held maintain safe engineering watches optional
optional, not held manage safety standards for maritime water transport optional
optional, not held perform small vessel safety measures optional
optional, not held perform small vessel safety procedures optional
optional, not held prevent sea pollution optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
optional, not held extinguish fires optional

09 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 2 supplementary

optional, not held fishing vessels optional
optional, not held risks associated with undertaking fishing operations optional

10 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held operate control systems optional
optional, not held have computer literacy optional

11 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held mathematics optional

44 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held ensure vessel compliance with regulations optional
optional, not held fishing vessels optional
optional, not held follow ethical code of conduct in transport services optional
optional, not held lead a team in fishery services optional
optional, not held maintain safe engineering watches optional
optional, not held manage engine-room resources optional
optional, not held manage safety standards for maritime water transport optional
optional, not held manage ship emergency plans optional
optional, not held manage the operation of propulsion plant machinery optional
optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
optional, not held operate control systems optional
optional, not held operate life-saving appliances optional
optional, not held operate marine machinery systems optional
optional, not held operate pumping systems optional
optional, not held operate ship propulsion system optional
optional, not held operate ship rescue machinery optional
optional, not held perform small vessel safety measures optional
optional, not held perform small vessel safety procedures optional
optional, not held prevent fires on board optional
optional, not held prevent sea pollution optional
optional, not held risks associated with undertaking fishing operations optional
optional, not held ship related legislative requirements optional
optional, not held swim optional
optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
optional, not held approve engineering design optional
optional, not held coordinate fire fighting optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
optional, not held extinguish fires optional
optional, not held fire-fighting systems optional
optional, not held have computer literacy optional
optional, not held maintain electrical equipment optional
optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
optional, not held maintain shipboard machinery optional
optional, not held mathematics optional

4 further entries not listed here

24 held skills the marine chief engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role International Maritime Organisation conventions knowledge
not needed by the target role advise on maritime regulations skill
not needed by the target role apply vessel engine regulations skill
not needed by the target role detect malfunctions in engines skill
not needed by the target role engine components knowledge
not needed by the target role manage on-board water systems skill
not needed by the target role manage ship electrical systems skill
not needed by the target role manage vessel engines and systems skill
not needed by the target role moor vessels skill
not needed by the target role operate diesel propulsion plants skill
not needed by the target role operate fire extinguishers skill
not needed by the target role operate sewage treatment plans on ships skill
not needed by the target role operation of different engines knowledge
not needed by the target role perform bunkering skill
not needed by the target role perform routine lube oil tests skill
not needed by the target role perform routine maintenance of ship engines skill
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role prepare engine room for operation skill
not needed by the target role prepare lifeboats skill
not needed by the target role provide support in vessel machinery systems skill
not needed by the target role regulation on the discharge of raw materials into the sea knowledge
not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology skill
not needed by the target role unmoor vessels skill
not needed by the target role use different types of fire extinguishers skill

19 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 acquire Tier

required, not held electronics principles required
required, not held international regulations for preventing collisions at sea required
required, not held maritime electric drives required
required, not held physical parts of the vessel required
required, not held International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships required
required, not held electronics required
required, not held mechanical tools required
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held fishing vessels optional
optional, not held maritime law optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
optional, not held risks associated with undertaking fishing operations optional
optional, not held ship related legislative requirements optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held fire-fighting systems optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held mechanics optional
optional, not held pollution prevention optional

Index

Other moves recorded from ship assistant engineer

Full index of moves from ship assistant engineer

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.