Engineering Assistant (Engineering Design and Development)

Competency-Based Apprenticeship
Sponsoring Company:
Project Lead the Way
O*Net Code
Rapids Code
Req. Hours
Apr 04, 2021
Apr 04, 2021

Competency-Based Skills

5 skill sets | 69 total skills
Project Management
Create documentation to support a design process and results
Summarize research findings in visual and verbal form
Justify why some discoveries are inventions and others are innovations
Conduct patent searches and judge which patents are most relevant to a given topic
Assess a product using a Product Lifecycle Assessment
Detail ecological and sustainable design attributes of a specific product
Create a solution to a problem using a design process
Create a Gantt chart for project planning purposes
Construct a working prototype
Design and implement a prototype testing procedure
Interpret test results
Identify personal strengths that can benefit a problem solving team
Brainstorm problem statements for unique innovations or inventions
Write clear, complete, and concise problem statements
Distinguish between credible and non-credible sources while conducting research
Document research that validates and justifies problem statements
Appraise current and past products to inform the creation of a problem statement
Summarize and critique the most relevant content of research and patents
Develop and use a decision matrix to choose a problem statement
Evaluate classmates’ problem statements
Communicate professionally with experts and mentors on a specific topic
Record and organize correspondence with experts and mentors
Create a Statement of Purpose using the details from their problem statement
Evaluate the market to determine whether solving the problem is compelling to other entities
Identify the target market for a potential solution to an identified problem
Identify math and science concepts that will be or could be utilized in the process of solving an identified problem
Create and execute a market research plan to gather data related to an identified problem
Evaluate and communicate data collected during market research
Create a document to summarize important information and research in order to justify moving forward with a chosen problem
Identify and describe specific criteria for and constraints to the design of a product
Write a clear, complete, and concise design specification
Generate and document multiple potential solutions to a problem
Develop a decision matrix to compare and rank potential solutions
Distinguish between practical and potentially successful design solutions and solutions that are not practical or potentially successful
Combine, refine, and optimize conceptual ideas to effectively solve a problem
Communicate design concepts using visual and written documentation
Evaluate other teams’ conceptual solutions and make recommendations
Evaluate feedback from reviewers and modify design concepts as appropriate
Collaborate with teammates to select a solution path to pursue
Assess their product design based on a variety of design factors and implement design changes to improve their product
Create a set of working drawings to document their proposed product design
Perform a peer design review to evaluate their product design in an effort to identify and correct potential mistakes and flaws in their design
Perform a cost estimate to build a prototype of their proposed product
Compare the positive and negative consequences of their product design to determine the ethical implications of product development
Perform competitive product analyses of products that will compete with their proposed product
Communicate professionally with experts and mentors to obtain feedback on the technical feasibility of their product design, document the interactions, and implement recommended changes to their product design
Create a document to present their proposed design and provide justification for further development of a product
Prototype and Test
Sketch and annotate ideas and details while designing a prototype
Use scientific, mathematical, and engineering concepts to design a prototype
Evaluate choices of materials and fastening procedures for a prototype design
Create virtual designs of a prototype
Determine and document resource needs, including a bill of materials, tools, equipment, and knowledge required to build a prototype
Identify subsystems of a prototype design
Identify opportunities to incrementally test a prototype
Create a step-by-step plan for building a prototype
Create a project organization chart, a Gantt chart, and hold project progress meetings to help manage the team project
Correspond with professionals and experts to acquire the resources needed to build their prototypes
Build a functional prototype
Evaluate their prototypes to decide where changes must be made and document those changes
Devise a list of testing criteria that will be used to evaluate the prototype and determine the success or failure of the design solution
Select and describe a valid testing method that will be used to accurately evaluate the effectiveness of their design solution in solving the problem
Prepare a description of the testing method that will be used to validate and verify the design solution
Create a valid justification for the selected testing method
Identify, define, and implement needed modifications to their testing method based on expert feedback and ongoing research
Document their project’s progress in their engineer’s notebook
Conduct testing of their prototype
Design and participate in a critical design review to evaluate their prototype and determine how their project will proceed
Identify, define, and implement necessary modifications to their design based upon their test results
Document their project’s progress in their engineering notebook

Technical Instruction

Engineering Assistant (2+2 Engineer Pathway)
Introduction to Engineering/Computer Graphics
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College Algebra
# | 405 hrs
College Chemistry I
# | 405 hrs
College Trigonometry
# | 405 hrs
Introduction to Engineering
# | 405 hrs
Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
# | 405 hrs
University Physics I
# | 405 hrs
English Composition I
# | 405 hrs
English Composition II
# | 405 hrs