Vehicle technician to diesel engine mechanic
A vehicle technician already meets 52% of what the diesel engine mechanic role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
54/ 100
1 How much of what a diesel engine mechanic is expected to do is already part of a vehicle technician’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 diesel engine mechanic role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A diesel engine mechanic role treats 12 of its required skills as things a vehicle technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust tightness of engine parts
- disassemble engines
- engine components
- health and safety measures in transportation
- maintain work area cleanliness
- mechanics
What stands in the way is 9 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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A diesel engine mechanic role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a vehicle technician background worth leading with.
- already held adjust tightness of engine parts constructing
- already held use traditional toolbox tools handling and moving
- already held lubricate engines constructing
- already held automotive diagnostic equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held maintain electrical engines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment constructing
All 20 carried skills, including the 12 the diesel engine mechanic role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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.
- still to learn comply with factory specifications in engine repair required
- still to learn re-assemble engines required
- still to learn bolt engine parts required
- optional, not held install transport equipment engines optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on locomotives optional
- still to learn hydraulics required
- still to learn principles of combustion engines required
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held rail infrastructure optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
- still to learn diagnose defective engines required
- still to learn evaluate engine performance required
- optional, not held check train engines optional
- still to learn comply with legal regulations required
- still to learn physics required
- optional, not held maintain vessel engine room optional
- optional, not held perform routine maintenance on railway engines optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a diesel engine mechanic role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 comply with factory specifications in engine repair practise this
- 02 diagnose defective engines practise this
- 03 evaluate engine performance practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 20 skills that carry over
- already held adjust tightness of engine parts skill
- already held disassemble engines skill
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- already held maintain work area cleanliness skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held operation of different engines knowledge
- already held perform manual work autonomously skill
- already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held repair engines skill
- already held use traditional toolbox tools skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- already held execute working instructions skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held issue sales invoices skill
- already held lubricate engines skill
- already held maintain electrical engines skill
- already held provide customer information related to repairs skill
- already held use automotive diagnostic equipment skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held clean vehicle engine optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trolley buses optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check train engines optional
- optional, not held clean vehicle engine optional
- optional, not held install transport equipment engines optional
- optional, not held maintain vessel engine room optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trolley buses optional
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held perform maintenance on locomotives optional
- optional, not held perform routine maintenance on railway engines optional
- optional, not held rail infrastructure optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
46 held skills the diesel engine mechanic role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to new technology used in cars skill
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role car controls knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out repair of motorcycles skill
- not needed by the target role carry out repair of vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role carry out repairs and maintenance of vehicle bodies skill
- not needed by the target role components of air conditioning systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role detect malfunctions in engines skill
- not needed by the target role diagnose problems with vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring plans knowledge
- not needed by the target role emission standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with warranty contracts skill
- not needed by the target role fix minor vehicle scratches skill
- not needed by the target role follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role hybrid vehicle architecture knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep stock records skill
- not needed by the target role lift heavy weights skill
- not needed by the target role maintain braking system skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain motor vehicle steering system skill
- not needed by the target role maintain professional records skill
- not needed by the target role maintain suspension system skill
- not needed by the target role maintain updated professional knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vehicle appearance skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vehicle records skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical components of vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical requirements for vehicles in urban areas knowledge
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role organise vehicle breakdown support skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform annual legal safety checks skill
- not needed by the target role perform minor vehicle repairs skill
- not needed by the target role perform road testing of vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role perform technical tasks with great care skill
- not needed by the target role perform vehicle tests skill
- not needed by the target role position vehicles for maintenance and repair skill
- not needed by the target role provide customer follow-up services skill
6 further entries not listed here
9 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 hydraulics required
- still to learn physics required
- still to learn principles of combustion engines required
- optional, not held mechanics of trolley buses optional
- optional, not held mechanics of vessels optional
- optional, not held rail infrastructure optional
- optional, not held aircraft mechanics optional
- optional, not held mechanics of motor vehicles optional
- optional, not held mechanics of trains optional
Common questions about this move
Can a vehicle technician become a diesel engine mechanic?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A vehicle technician already covers 52% of what a diesel engine mechanic is expected to do: 20 skills carry over, 12 of which the diesel engine mechanic role treats as required.
What skills does a vehicle technician need to become a diesel engine mechanic?
9 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is comply with factory specifications in engine repair.
How hard is the move from vehicle technician to diesel engine mechanic?
Its learning distance is 54 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.