Welding engineer to production engineer
A welding engineer already meets 45% of what the production engineer role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.1/ 100
1 How much of what a production engineer is expected to do is already part of a welding 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 production engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A production engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a welding engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- industrial engineering
- manufacturing processes
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 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A production engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a welding engineer background worth leading with.
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held production processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held ensure equipment maintenance management skills
- already held approve engineering design communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manufacturing processes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held use technical drawing software working with computers
All 12 carried skills, including the 10 the production engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 26 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 lead process optimisation required
- still to learn optimise production required
- still to learn control production required
- optional, not held implement quality management systems optional
- optional, not held adjust production schedule optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held identify training needs optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held schedule production optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
- optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
- still to learn production engineering required
- optional, not held develop product design optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a production engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 lead process optimisation practise this
- 02 optimise production practise this
- 03 production engineering 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 12 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 industrial engineering knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes 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 ensure equipment maintenance skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop product design optional
- optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
- optional, not held implement quality management systems optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
- optional, not held adjust production schedule optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held analyse production processes for improvement optional
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held identify training needs optional
- optional, not held integrate new products in manufacturing optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held schedule production optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
41 held skills the production engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
- not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply brazing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
- not needed by the target role consult technical resources skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role define manufacturing quality criteria skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role design drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop new welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role draw design sketches skill
- not needed by the target role ensure correct gas pressure skill
- not needed by the target role ensure finished product meet requirements skill
- not needed by the target role ensure fulfilment of legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees work skill
- not needed by the target role ferrous metal processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow company standards skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role identify hazards in the workplace skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with managers skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with quality assurance skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safe engineering watches skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate brazing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate oxy-fuel welding torch skill
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate welding equipment skill
- not needed by the target role perform metal active gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform metal inert gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role perform tungsten inert gas welding skill
- not needed by the target role perform welding inspection skill
- not needed by the target role prepare production prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role record test data skill
- not needed by the target role research welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role select filler metal skill
- not needed by the target role spot metal imperfections skill
- not needed by the target role supervise staff skill
- not needed by the target role types of metal knowledge
1 further entry not listed here
4 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 production engineering required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held continuous improvement philosophies optional
- optional, not held lean manufacturing optional
Common questions about this move
Can a welding engineer become a production engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A welding engineer already covers 45% of what a production engineer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 10 of which the production engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a welding engineer need to become a production engineer?
6 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is lead process optimisation.
How hard is the move from welding engineer to production engineer?
Its learning distance is 56.1 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.