Assayer to material testing technician
An assayer already meets 27% of what the material testing technician role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.9/ 100
1 How much of what a material testing technician is expected to do is already part of an assayer’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 material testing technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A material testing technician role treats 4 of its required skills as things an assayer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply safety procedures in laboratory
- perform laboratory tests
- record test data
- report test findings
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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A material testing technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an assayer background worth leading with.
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
- already held report test findings information skills
- already held perform laboratory tests working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held label samples handling and moving
- already held physics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held chemistry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 7 carried skills, including the 4 the material testing technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 10 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 operate scientific measuring equipment required
- still to learn use testing equipment required
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- still to learn collect samples required
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- still to learn advanced materials required
- optional, not held biology optional
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- still to learn quality standards required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a material testing technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advanced materials study this
- 02 collect samples practise this
- 03 health, safety and hygiene legislation 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held chemistry knowledge
- already held label samples skill
- already held physics knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn maintain test equipment required
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held analyse test data optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
20 held skills the material testing technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analytical chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role characteristics of precious metals knowledge
- not needed by the target role chemical processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role geology knowledge
- not needed by the target role good laboratory practice knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle chemicals skill
- not needed by the target role heat jewellery metals skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role jewellery processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role laboratory techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage chemical testing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of jewellery knowledge
- not needed by the target role metal and metal ore products knowledge
- not needed by the target role precious metals knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare chemical samples skill
- not needed by the target role separate metals from ores skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role supervise laboratory operations skill
- not needed by the target role test raw minerals skill
- not needed by the target role use chemical analysis equipment skill
6 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 advanced materials required
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- still to learn materials engineering required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held biology optional
Common questions about this move
Can an assayer become a material testing technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An assayer already covers 27% of what a material testing technician is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 4 of which the material testing technician role treats as required.
What skills does an assayer need to become a material testing technician?
9 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is advanced materials.
How hard is the move from assayer to material testing technician?
Its learning distance is 66.9 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.