Fibre optic installer to electric meter technician
A fibre optic installer already meets 20% of what the electric meter technician role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.1/ 100
1 How much of what an electric meter technician is expected to do is already part of a fibre optic installer’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 electric meter technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An electric meter technician role treats 4 of its required skills as things a fibre optic installer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- electrical wire accessories
- electricity
- troubleshoot
- use wire hand tools
What stands in the way is 15 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An electric meter technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a fibre optic installer background worth leading with.
- already held use wire hand tools handling and moving
- already held anticipate installation maintenance management skills
- already held electrical wire accessories engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held electricity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the electric meter technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 missing skills fall into 6 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 install electricity meter required
- still to learn install electrical and electronic equipment required
- still to learn use electrical wire tools required
- still to learn use testing equipment required
- optional, not held read electricity meter optional
- still to learn smart grids systems required
- still to learn electrical equipment regulations required
- still to learn electrical wiring plans required
- still to learn electricity principles required
- still to learn identify faults in utility meters required
- still to learn inspect electrical supplies required
- still to learn perform test run required
- optional, not held install utility equipment optional
- optional, not held monitor utility equipment optional
- still to learn measure electrical characteristics required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held consult technical resources optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- optional, not held advise on utility consumption optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an electric meter technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 install electricity meter practise this
- 02 identify faults in utility meters practise this
- 03 smart grids systems 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held electrical wire accessories knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use wire hand tools skill
- already held anticipate installation maintenance skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on utility consumption optional
- optional, not held install utility equipment optional
- optional, not held monitor utility equipment optional
- optional, not held read electricity meter optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held consult technical resources optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
20 held skills the electric meter technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role MOEM knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise on equipment maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with maintenance legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure conformity to specifications skill
- not needed by the target role fibre optics knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect cables skill
- not needed by the target role install electronic communication equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install low voltage wiring skill
- not needed by the target role install power lines skill
- not needed by the target role monitor customer service skill
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role optical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role optomechanical components knowledge
- not needed by the target role repair wiring skill
- not needed by the target role rigging terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role soldering techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role splice cable skill
- not needed by the target role wire harnesses knowledge
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 smart grids systems required
- still to learn electrical equipment regulations required
- still to learn electrical wiring plans required
- still to learn electricity principles required
Common questions about this move
Can a fibre optic installer become an electric meter technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A fibre optic installer already covers 20% of what an electric meter technician is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the electric meter technician role treats as required.
What skills does a fibre optic installer need to become an electric meter technician?
15 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is install electricity meter.
How hard is the move from fibre optic installer to electric meter technician?
Its learning distance is 76.1 out of 100, which is the career change 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.