Welding inspector to welding engineer
A welding inspector already meets 41% of what the welding engineer role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.4/ 100
1 How much of what a welding engineer is expected to do is already part of a welding inspector’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 welding engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A welding engineer role treats 10 of its required skills as things a welding inspector already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- consult technical resources
- draw design sketches
- ensure fulfilment of legal requirements
- liaise with managers
- operate welding equipment
- perform welding inspection
What stands in the way is 19 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 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A welding engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a welding inspector background worth leading with.
- already held perform welding inspection information skills
- already held perform tungsten inert gas welding constructing
- already held perform metal active gas welding constructing
- already held perform metal inert gas welding constructing
- already held ensure fulfilment of legal requirements assisting and caring
- already held welding techniques engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 25 carried skills, including the 10 the welding engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 engineering processes required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- still to learn select filler metal required
- still to learn apply arc welding techniques required
- still to learn operate oxy-fuel welding torch required
- still to learn operate soldering equipment required
- optional, not held apply brazing techniques optional
- optional, not held operate brazing equipment optional
- still to learn adjust engineering designs required
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn approve engineering design required
- still to learn prepare production prototypes required
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- still to learn develop new welding techniques required
- optional, not held define manufacturing quality criteria optional
- optional, not held coordinate engineering teams optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- still to learn research welding techniques required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a welding engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 engineering processes study this
- 02 select filler metal practise this
- 03 adjust engineering designs 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 25 skills that carry over
- already held consult technical resources skill
- already held draw design sketches skill
- already held ensure fulfilment of legal requirements skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held operate welding equipment skill
- already held perform welding inspection skill
- already held spot metal imperfections skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held welding techniques knowledge
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held ensure correct gas pressure skill
- already held ensure finished product meet requirements skill
- already held evaluate employees work skill
- already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held identify hazards in the workplace skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held liaise with quality assurance skill
- already held perform metal active gas welding skill
- already held perform metal inert gas welding skill
- already held perform test run skill
- already held perform tungsten inert gas welding skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held supervise staff skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held maintain safe engineering watches optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held define manufacturing quality criteria optional
- optional, not held identify customer's needs optional
- optional, not held maintain safe engineering watches optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held apply brazing techniques optional
- optional, not held coordinate engineering teams optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
- optional, not held operate brazing equipment optional
27 held skills the welding engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role database quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role electron beam welding processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency procedures skill
- not needed by the target role metal joining technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor manufacturing quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role non-ferrous metal processing knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform sample testing skill
- not needed by the target role plastic welding knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare samples for testing skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
- not needed by the target role recommend product improvements skill
- not needed by the target role record production data for quality control skill
- not needed by the target role record survey data skill
- not needed by the target role report defective manufacturing materials skill
- not needed by the target role revise quality control systems documentation skill
- not needed by the target role set quality assurance objectives skill
- not needed by the target role types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role use non-destructive testing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role weld mining machinery skill
- not needed by the target role write records for repairs skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
8 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 engineering processes required
- still to learn design drawings required
- still to learn engineering principles required
- still to learn industrial engineering required
- still to learn manufacturing processes required
- still to learn production processes required
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a welding inspector become a welding engineer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A welding inspector already covers 41% of what a welding engineer is expected to do: 25 skills carry over, 10 of which the welding engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a welding inspector need to become a welding engineer?
19 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is engineering processes.
How hard is the move from welding inspector to welding engineer?
Its learning distance is 65.4 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.