RecordMove

Synthetic materials engineer to rolling stock engineer

A synthetic materials engineer already meets 23% of what the rolling stock engineer role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

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

From synthetic materials engineer

Distant match

To rolling stock engineer

8 You already bring

12 Still to learn

42 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

74.4/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a rolling stock engineer is expected to do is already part of a synthetic materials 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 rolling stock engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A rolling stock engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a synthetic materials engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

adjust engineering designs
analyse production processes for improvement
manufacturing processes
quality standards
use technical drawing software

What stands in the way is 12 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A rolling stock engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a synthetic materials engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held design principles arts and humanities
already held analyse production processes for improvement information skills
already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held use technical drawing software working with computers
already held use CAD software working with computers
already held adjust engineering designs communication, collaboration and creativity

All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the rolling stock engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 10 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 5 required, 7 supplementary

still to learn engineering processes required
still to learn engineering principles required
still to learn industrial engineering required
still to learn production processes required
still to learn technical drawings required

optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held safety engineering optional

02 information skills 3 required

still to learn assess financial viability required
still to learn execute feasibility study required
still to learn perform scientific research required

03 management skills 2 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn design wayside signalling interlockings required
still to learn control production required

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

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn approve engineering design 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

05 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn control compliance of railway vehicles regulations required

06 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 supplementary

optional, not held ensure maintenance of railway machinery optional
optional, not held ensure maintenance of trains optional
optional, not held maintain electromechanical equipment optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a rolling stock 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 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held adjust engineering designs skill
already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
already held manufacturing processes knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held use technical drawing software skill
already held design principles knowledge
already held record test data skill
already held use CAD software skill

The 4 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held conduct performance tests optional
optional, not held perform test run optional

08 handling and moving 1 supplementary

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

09 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held CAE software optional

10 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use CAM software optional

22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held ensure maintenance of railway machinery optional
optional, not held ensure maintenance of trains optional
optional, not held mechanical engineering 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 prototypes optional
optional, not held develop test procedures optional
optional, not held draft design specifications optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held maintain electromechanical equipment optional
optional, not held manage product testing optional
optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
optional, not held perform test run optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held safety engineering optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional

30 held skills the rolling stock engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role anticipate installation maintenance skill
not needed by the target role assemble machines skill
not needed by the target role basic chemicals knowledge
not needed by the target role build machines skill
not needed by the target role check quality of raw materials skill
not needed by the target role chemical processes knowledge
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role communication knowledge
not needed by the target role design engineering components skill
not needed by the target role design process skill
not needed by the target role electrical machines knowledge
not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
not needed by the target role handle chemicals skill
not needed by the target role injection moulding machine parts knowledge
not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
not needed by the target role manage environmental impact of operations skill
not needed by the target role manage processes skill
not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role measure materials skill
not needed by the target role perform maintenance on installed equipment skill
not needed by the target role prepare scientific reports skill
not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
not needed by the target role synthetic materials knowledge
not needed by the target role test materials skill
not needed by the target role types of plastic knowledge
not needed by the target role use hand tools skill
not needed by the target role work safely with chemicals skill
not needed by the target role work with chemicals skill
not needed by the target role write technical reports skill

13 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 engineering processes required
still to learn engineering principles required
still to learn industrial engineering required
still to learn production processes required
still to learn technical drawings required
optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
optional, not held CAE software optional
optional, not held electrical engineering optional
optional, not held electromechanics optional
optional, not held electronics optional
optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
optional, not held precision mechanics optional
optional, not held safety engineering optional

Index

Other moves recorded from synthetic materials engineer

Full index of moves from synthetic materials engineer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a synthetic materials engineer become a rolling stock engineer?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A synthetic materials engineer already covers 23% of what a rolling stock engineer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the rolling stock engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a synthetic materials engineer need to become a rolling stock engineer?

12 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is control compliance of railway vehicles regulations.

How hard is the move from synthetic materials engineer to rolling stock engineer?

Its learning distance is 74.4 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.