RecordMove

Surface engineer to equipment engineer

A surface engineer already meets 46% of what the equipment engineer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.

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

From surface engineer

Partial match

To equipment engineer

13 You already bring

6 Still to learn

37 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

54.1/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

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

Why

Why this move works

An equipment engineer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a surface engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

engineering principles
engineering processes
execute analytical mathematical calculations
manufacturing processes
mathematics
perform scientific research

What stands in the way is 6 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An equipment engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a surface engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held analyse test data information skills
already held mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held execute analytical mathematical calculations information skills
already held electrical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 13 carried skills, including the 9 the equipment engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 9 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 interpret technical requirements required
still to learn assess financial viability required
still to learn execute feasibility study required

optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
optional, not held estimate duration of work optional

02 management skills 2 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn define technical requirements required
still to learn manage engineering project required

optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held control production optional
optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional

03 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn project management required

optional, not held product data management optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 5 supplementary

optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held robotic components optional
optional, not held robotics optional

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 supplementary

optional, not held maintain equipment optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

06 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held design principles optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an equipment 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 13 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held engineering principles knowledge
already held engineering processes knowledge
already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held mathematics knowledge
already held perform scientific research skill
already held production processes knowledge
already held technical drawings knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held analyse test data skill
already held electrical engineering knowledge
already held mechanical engineering knowledge
already held record test data skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 supplementary

optional, not held design prototypes optional

08 constructing 1 supplementary

optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional

09 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use CAD software optional

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
optional, not held apply advanced manufacturing optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held control production optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held design prototypes optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
optional, not held inspect industrial equipment optional
optional, not held maintain equipment optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional
optional, not held product data management optional
optional, not held robotic components optional
optional, not held robotics optional
optional, not held use CAD software optional
optional, not held use testing equipment optional

25 held skills the equipment engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role adjust engineering designs skill
not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of materials skill
not needed by the target role apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece skill
not needed by the target role approve engineering design skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
not needed by the target role corrosion types knowledge
not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role ferrous metal processing knowledge
not needed by the target role galvanise metal workpiece skill
not needed by the target role hazardous waste types knowledge
not needed by the target role industrial engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
not needed by the target role non-destructive testing knowledge
not needed by the target role parkerise metal workpiece skill
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
not needed by the target role safety engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role semiconductors knowledge
not needed by the target role soldering techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role surface engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role types of metal knowledge
not needed by the target role use non-destructive testing equipment skill
not needed by the target role welding techniques 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn project management required
optional, not held human-robot collaboration optional
optional, not held computer engineering optional
optional, not held design principles optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held product data management optional
optional, not held robotic components optional
optional, not held robotics optional

Index

Other moves recorded from surface engineer

Full index of moves from surface engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a surface engineer become an equipment engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A surface engineer already covers 46% of what an equipment engineer is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 9 of which the equipment engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a surface engineer need to become an equipment engineer?

6 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is interpret technical requirements.

How hard is the move from surface engineer to equipment engineer?

Its learning distance is 54.1 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.