Fire safety tester to material testing technician
A fire safety tester already meets 34% of what the material testing technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
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1 How much of what a material testing technician is expected to do is already part of a fire safety tester’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 6 of its required skills as things a fire safety tester already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- maintain test equipment
- perform laboratory tests
- record test data
- report test findings
- use testing equipment
- wear appropriate protective gear
What stands in the way is 7 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 a fire safety tester background worth leading with.
- already held develop material testing procedures information skills
- already held maintain test equipment constructing
- already held report test findings information skills
- already held perform laboratory tests working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use testing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held record test data information skills
All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the material testing technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 9 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 advanced materials required
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn collect samples required
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- still to learn operate scientific measuring equipment required
- optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
- still to learn apply safety procedures in laboratory required
- still to learn quality standards required
3 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 apply safety procedures in laboratory practise this
- 03 collect samples 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held maintain test equipment skill
- already held perform laboratory tests skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held develop material testing procedures skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- 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
- 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
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
- optional, not held label samples 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 chemistry optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
23 held skills the material testing technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act as contact person during equipment incident skill
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on safety improvements skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fire safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role conduct fire tests skill
- not needed by the target role determine fire risks skill
- not needed by the target role educate public on fire safety skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire prevention procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire protection engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire-fighting systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role health and safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect fire equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain safety systems skill
- not needed by the target role manage health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role operate fire extinguishers skill
- not needed by the target role organise fire drills skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role pyrotechnic articles legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role test safety strategies skill
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
8 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
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a fire safety tester become a material testing technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A fire safety tester already covers 34% of what a material testing technician is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the material testing technician role treats as required.
What skills does a fire safety tester need to become a material testing technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by natural sciences, mathematics and statistics. The single most important is advanced materials.
How hard is the move from fire safety tester to material testing technician?
Its learning distance is 62 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.