Tooling engineer to industrial tool design engineer
A tooling engineer already meets 65% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.8/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of a tooling 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 industrial tool design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An industrial tool design engineer role treats 14 of its required skills as things a tooling engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- design prototypes
- industrial engineering
- manufacturing processes
What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 30 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial tool design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tooling engineer background worth leading with.
- already held determine production capacity information skills
- already held reverse engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held determine production feasibility information skills
- already held monitor production developments information skills
- already held build a product's physical model handling and moving
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems working with computers
All 30 carried skills, including the 14 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 missing skills fall into 5 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.
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- still to learn use specialised design software required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an industrial tool design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 identify customer's needs practise this
- 03 industrial tools study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 30 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held perform scientific research skill
- already held production processes knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held use technical drawing software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- already held build a product's physical model skill
- already held create a product's virtual model skill
- already held determine production capacity skill
- already held determine production feasibility skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held estimate duration of work skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held monitor production developments skill
- already held plan manufacturing processes skill
- already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- already held reverse engineering knowledge
- already held use computer-aided engineering systems skill
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
22 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAE software knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT software specifications knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise customers on new equipment skill
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role attend trade fairs skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role multimedia systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate precision measuring equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform market research skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role plan allocation of space skill
- not needed by the target role quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role render 3D images skill
- not needed by the target role set production facilities standards skill
- not needed by the target role set up the controller of a machine skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use CAM software skill
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn industrial tools required
- still to learn mechanical engineering required
- still to learn design drawings required
Common questions about this move
Can a tooling engineer become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A tooling engineer already covers 65% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 30 skills carry over, 14 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a tooling engineer need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
10 required skills are missing, plus 2 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from tooling engineer to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 41.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.