Table 1Transition record

forestry equipment operatortoforestry technician

A forestry equipment operator already meets 21% of what the forestry technician role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.

From forestry equipment operator

21%

Overlap1

To forestry technician

8 Skills carried over

18 Required, not held

80.7 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

21%

Learning distance A rebuild

80.7/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the forestry technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the forestry equipment operator profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A forestry technician role treats 5 of its required skills as things a forestry equipment operator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

de-limb trees
forest ecology
maintain forestry equipment
provide first aid
reforestation

What stands in the way is 18 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A forestry technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a forestry equipment operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held advise on timber harvest communication, collaboration and creativity
already held maintain forestry equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held reforestation agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary
already held forest ecology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held de-limb trees handling and moving
already held report pollution incidents information skills

All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the forestry technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 information skills 4 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held conduct reforestation surveys required
required, not held manage forest fires required
required, not held monitor logging operations required
required, not held monitor work site required

optional, not held monitor workload optional
optional, not held monitor forest productivity optional
optional, not held read maps optional

02 handling and moving 4 required

required, not held apply prescribed herbicides required
required, not held vegetation control required
required, not held perform tree thinning required
required, not held plant green plants required

03 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required

required, not held habitat restoration required
required, not held environmental policy required

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held coordinate timber sales required

optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
optional, not held advise supervisors optional
optional, not held work in a forestry team optional
optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

05 management skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held supervise forestry workers required

optional, not held lead a team in forestry services optional
optional, not held monitor drivers optional

06 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held logging required

optional, not held sustainable forest management optional

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a forestry technician 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 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held de-limb trees skill
already held forest ecology knowledge
already held maintain forestry equipment skill
already held provide first aid skill
already held reforestation knowledge
already held advise on timber harvest skill
already held operate GPS systems skill
already held report pollution incidents skill

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 constructing 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held maintain forest roads required

optional, not held monitor equipment condition optional

08 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held apply forest legislation required

09 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held ecosystem management required

10 services 1 required

required, not held fire-fighting systems required

11 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required

required, not held operate forestry equipment required

12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held monitor workload optional
optional, not held advise on tree issues optional
optional, not held advise supervisors optional
optional, not held lead a team in forestry services optional
optional, not held monitor forest productivity optional
optional, not held sustainable forest management optional
optional, not held work in a forestry team optional
optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
optional, not held monitor drivers optional
optional, not held monitor equipment condition optional
optional, not held read maps optional
optional, not held use different communication channels optional

38 held skills the forestry technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on timber-based products skill
not needed by the target role agronomy knowledge
not needed by the target role assess felled timber quality skill
not needed by the target role assess felled timber volume skill
not needed by the target role attach protective attachments to timber piles skill
not needed by the target role carry out routine maintenance of wood cutting machinery skill
not needed by the target role comply with timber trade code of conduct skill
not needed by the target role drive agricultural machines skill
not needed by the target role drive timber machine skill
not needed by the target role extract coppice skill
not needed by the target role fell trees skill
not needed by the target role forecast timber production skill
not needed by the target role forecast workload skill
not needed by the target role forest conservation knowledge
not needed by the target role harvest timber skill
not needed by the target role identify trees to fell skill
not needed by the target role improve timber stands skill
not needed by the target role inspect timber skill
not needed by the target role limit load to prevent damage skill
not needed by the target role load timber onto a skidder skill
not needed by the target role maintain edged hand tools skill
not needed by the target role maintain forest inventory skill
not needed by the target role maintain the security of machinery skill
not needed by the target role manage logs segregation and stacking skill
not needed by the target role minimise environmental impact on the surrounding area skill
not needed by the target role minimize risks in tree operations skill
not needed by the target role operate forestry machinery skill
not needed by the target role prepare emergency treework operations skill
not needed by the target role process arisings from treework operations skill
not needed by the target role process timber using hand-fed machinery skill
not needed by the target role report to the team leader skill
not needed by the target role select tree felling methods skill
not needed by the target role sharpen edged tools skill
not needed by the target role spray pesticides skill
not needed by the target role timber products knowledge
not needed by the target role use ICT systems skill
not needed by the target role use hand tools for forestry work skill
not needed by the target role work independently in forestry services 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 acquire Tier

required, not held ecosystem management required
required, not held habitat restoration required
required, not held logging required
required, not held environmental policy required
required, not held fire-fighting systems required
optional, not held sustainable forest management optional

Index

Other moves recorded from forestry equipment operator

Full index of moves from forestry equipment operator

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.