RecordMove

Crane technician to industrial machinery mechanic

A crane technician already meets 34% of what the industrial machinery mechanic role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From crane technician

Distant match

To industrial machinery mechanic

10 You already bring

9 Still to learn

37 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an industrial machinery mechanic is expected to do is already part of a crane technician’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 industrial machinery mechanic role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An industrial machinery mechanic role treats 7 of its required skills as things a crane technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

conduct routine machinery checks
electricity
hydraulics
mechanics
resolve equipment malfunctions
troubleshoot

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial machinery mechanic role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a crane technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held prepare compliance documents information skills
already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held conduct routine machinery checks working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held write records for repairs information skills
already held hydraulics engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held resolve equipment malfunctions communication, collaboration and creativity

All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the industrial machinery mechanic role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 27 missing skills fall into 11 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 constructing 3 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
still to learn perform maintenance on installed equipment required
still to learn perform test run required

optional, not held install hydraulic systems optional
optional, not held install pneumatic systems optional
optional, not held lay pipe installation optional
optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
optional, not held operate welding equipment optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn electrical wiring plans required
still to learn types of lubricants required

optional, not held manufacturing of office equipment optional
optional, not held manufacturing of pumps and compressors optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn use testing equipment required

optional, not held install blinds drive systems optional
optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional

04 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn solve technical problems required

optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn secure working area required

06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required

still to learn pneumatics required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an industrial machinery mechanic role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held conduct routine machinery checks skill
already held electricity knowledge
already held hydraulics knowledge
already held mechanics knowledge
already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
already held troubleshoot skill
already held write records for repairs skill
already held apply technical communication skills skill
already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
already held prepare compliance documents skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information skills 3 supplementary

optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
optional, not held consult technical resources optional
optional, not held record test data optional

08 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary

optional, not held provide customer information related to repairs optional
optional, not held order supplies optional

09 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional

10 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held issue sales invoices optional

11 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held manufacturing of taps and valves optional

18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held estimate restoration costs optional
optional, not held install blinds drive systems optional
optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
optional, not held manufacturing of office equipment optional
optional, not held manufacturing of pumps and compressors optional
optional, not held manufacturing of taps and valves optional
optional, not held provide customer information related to repairs optional
optional, not held consult technical resources optional
optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
optional, not held install hydraulic systems optional
optional, not held install pneumatic systems optional
optional, not held lay pipe installation optional
optional, not held operate industrial equipment optional
optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
optional, not held order supplies optional
optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
optional, not held record test data optional

21 held skills the industrial machinery mechanic role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on safety improvements skill
not needed by the target role blueprints knowledge
not needed by the target role crane load charts knowledge
not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
not needed by the target role inspect crane equipment skill
not needed by the target role install crane equipment skill
not needed by the target role interpret 2D plans skill
not needed by the target role interpret 3D plans skill
not needed by the target role maintain crane equipment skill
not needed by the target role operate cranes skill
not needed by the target role operate mobile crane skill
not needed by the target role operate railway lever frames skill
not needed by the target role operate tower crane skill
not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
not needed by the target role repair crane equipment skill
not needed by the target role secure crane skill
not needed by the target role set up crane skill
not needed by the target role set up tower crane skill
not needed by the target role use rigging tools 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn electrical wiring plans required
still to learn pneumatics required
still to learn types of lubricants required
optional, not held manufacturing of office equipment optional
optional, not held manufacturing of pumps and compressors optional
optional, not held manufacturing of taps and valves optional

Index

Other moves recorded from crane technician

Full index of moves from crane technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a crane technician become an industrial machinery mechanic?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A crane technician already covers 34% of what an industrial machinery mechanic is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the industrial machinery mechanic role treats as required.

What skills does a crane technician need to become an industrial machinery mechanic?

9 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is electrical wiring plans.

How hard is the move from crane technician to industrial machinery mechanic?

Its learning distance is 63.9 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.