Transport engineer to surface engineer
A transport engineer already meets 39% of what the surface engineer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
60.1/ 100
1 How much of what a surface engineer is expected to do is already part of a transport 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 surface engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface engineer role treats 9 of its required skills as things a transport engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- mathematics
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 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a transport engineer background worth leading with.
- already held safety engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations information skills
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
- already held technical drawings engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held adjust engineering designs communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 9 the surface engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 8 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 industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- still to learn corrosion types required
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 corrosion types study this
- 02 industrial engineering study this
- 03 manufacturing processes 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held safety engineering knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use technical drawing software skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
23 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply phosphate coating to metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held parkerise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held galvanise metal workpiece optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- optional, not held record test data optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
24 held skills the surface engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analyse transport studies skill
- not needed by the target role apply transportation management concepts skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design transportation systems skill
- not needed by the target role develop efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
- not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute feasibility study skill
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role green logistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role multimodal transport logistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote innovative infrastructure design skill
- not needed by the target role promote the use of sustainable transport skill
- not needed by the target role road transport legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role simulate transport problems skill
- not needed by the target role traffic engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role transportation engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role transportation methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
- not needed by the target role use CAD software 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.
- still to learn corrosion types required
- still to learn industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn surface engineering required
- optional, not held ferrous metal processing optional
- optional, not held mechanical engineering optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held computer simulation optional
- optional, not held electrical engineering optional
- optional, not held environmental legislation optional
- optional, not held hazardous waste types optional
- optional, not held material mechanics optional
- optional, not held non-destructive testing optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held types of metal optional
- optional, not held welding techniques optional
Common questions about this move
Can a transport engineer become a surface engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A transport engineer already covers 39% of what a surface engineer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 9 of which the surface engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a transport engineer need to become a surface engineer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 23 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is corrosion types.
How hard is the move from transport engineer to surface engineer?
Its learning distance is 60.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.