Drilling machine operator to grinding machine operator
A drilling machine operator already meets 75% of what the grinding machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
33.8/ 100
1 How much of what a grinding machine operator is expected to do is already part of a drilling machine operator’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 grinding machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A grinding machine operator role treats 18 of its required skills as things a drilling machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAM software
- consult technical resources
- dispose of cutting waste material
- ensure equipment availability
- interpret geometric dimensions and tolerances
- monitor automated machines
What stands in the way is 8 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 49 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A grinding machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drilling machine operator background worth leading with.
- already held trigonometry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held CAM software information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held geometry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held procure mechanical machinery communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held interpret geometric dimensions and tolerances information skills
- already held CADD software information and communication technologies (icts)
All 49 carried skills, including the 18 the grinding machine operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 5 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 manufacturing processes required
- still to learn types of lubricants required
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held metal smoothing technologies optional
- still to learn use automatic programming required
- still to learn set up the controller of a machine required
- optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- still to learn operate surface grinder required
- still to learn perform machine maintenance required
- optional, not held apply precision metalworking techniques optional
- still to learn remove processed workpiece required
- still to learn apply control process statistical methods required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a grinding machine operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 operate surface grinder practise this
- 02 use automatic programming practise this
- 03 apply control process statistical methods 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 49 skills that carry over
- already held CAM software knowledge
- already held consult technical resources skill
- already held dispose of cutting waste material skill
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held interpret geometric dimensions and tolerances skill
- already held monitor automated machines skill
- already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
- already held perform test run skill
- already held program a CNC controller skill
- already held quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held remove inadequate workpieces skill
- already held statistical process control knowledge
- already held supply machine skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held types of metal knowledge
- already held use CAM software skill
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held CADD software knowledge
- already held CAE software knowledge
- already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
- already held cutting technologies knowledge
- already held electrical engineering knowledge
- already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
- already held geometry knowledge
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain mechanical equipment skill
- already held manufacturing of doors from metal knowledge
- already held manufacturing of heating equipment knowledge
- already held manufacturing of light metal packaging knowledge
- already held manufacturing of metal assembly products knowledge
- already held manufacturing of metal containers knowledge
- already held manufacturing of metal structures knowledge
- already held manufacturing of steam generators knowledge
- already held manufacturing of steel drums and similar containers knowledge
- already held manufacturing of tools knowledge
- already held manufacturing of weapons and ammunition knowledge
- already held mark processed workpiece skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held monitor stock level skill
- already held procure mechanical machinery skill
- already held record production data for quality control skill
- already held supply machine with appropriate tools skill
- already held trigonometry knowledge
- already held types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held work ergonomically skill
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held apply precision metalworking techniques optional
- optional, not held metal smoothing technologies optional
- optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
5 held skills the grinding machine operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role connect equipment to wellheads skill
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of daily use goods knowledge
- not needed by the target role manufacturing of sports equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role tend CNC drilling machine skill
4 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 manufacturing processes required
- still to learn types of lubricants required
- optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
- optional, not held metal smoothing technologies optional
Other moves recorded from drilling machine operator
Common questions about this move
Can a drilling machine operator become a grinding machine operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A drilling machine operator already covers 75% of what a grinding machine operator is expected to do: 49 skills carry over, 18 of which the grinding machine operator role treats as required.
What skills does a drilling machine operator need to become a grinding machine operator?
8 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is operate surface grinder.
How hard is the move from drilling machine operator to grinding machine operator?
Its learning distance is 33.8 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.