V Skill HF-D9.3-004 sector-specific 9 skills

Mechanical design engineering

Designs parts and structures using calculation, material choice and drawing, and tests the design against function, strength and manufacturability.

How hrmforce measures this

A collection of prior work or results, assessed against fixed criteria.

Level	Behaviour at this level
N1 Guided	Works out an existing design into drawings under guidance, applying the specified dimensions and materials. works under supervision and follows instruction · routine, one variable at a time · own task
N3 Proficient	Independently designs a part, substantiates material choice and strength calculation and consults production on manufacturability. sets own approach and seeks input proactively · several variables, some ambiguity · own team or process
N5 Leading	Sets the company's design standards, reviews complex structural designs and promotes design methods within the field. sets the standard and the policy · strategic, under high uncertainty · organisation, value chain or profession

N2 and N4 are deliberately not anchored. Raters place them between the anchors, following the O*NET convention.

These skills inherit the assessment route and the behavioural anchors of this construct.

T	Skill	Definition	Demand outlook 2026 to 2030
T	Creating a CAD drawing CAD drafting	Models a part or assembly in CAD and derives a dimensioned production drawing from it.	stable
T	Using SolidWorks SolidWorks	Uses SolidWorks for parametric modelling, assemblies, drawings and parts lists of machine components.	stable
T	Using AutoCAD AutoCAD	Uses AutoCAD for two dimensional drafting, layer management, dimensioning and issuing drawings.	stable
V	Determining tolerances and fits Tolerancing · GD and T	Chooses dimensional and geometric tolerances and a fit that match function, assembly and achievable accuracy.	stable
V	Substantiating material selection Material selection	Selects a material on strength, corrosion, weight, availability and cost and records the trade off.	stable
V	Performing a strength calculation Strength calculation	Calculates stress, deflection and safety factor of a component under the expected load.	stable
T	Running a finite element analysis Finite element analysis	Converts a part into a calculation model with boundary conditions and assesses computed stress and deformation.	rising
V	Designing for manufacturability Design for manufacturing	Adapts a design to the chosen production method so it can be made with fewer operations and lower cost.	stable
V	Maintaining parts lists and revisions Bill of materials	Maintains the parts list, item numbers and drawing revisions so production always uses the current version.	declining