Inventory coordinator to materials handler
An inventory coordinator already meets 21% of what the materials handler role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
79/ 100
1 How much of what a materials handler is expected to do is already part of an inventory coordinator’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 materials handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A materials handler role treats 6 of its required skills as things an inventory coordinator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- inventory management rules
- maintain stock control systems
- manage warehouse inventory
- operate warehouse record systems
- products coding system
- stack goods
What stands in the way is 16 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A materials handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an inventory coordinator background worth leading with.
- already held products coding system business, administration and law
- already held operate warehouse record systems information skills
- already held inventory management rules business, administration and law
- already held maintain stock control systems handling and moving
- already held manage warehouse inventory management skills
- already held stack goods handling and moving
All 6 carried skills, including the 6 the materials handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 34 missing skills fall into 8 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 dispatch order processing required
- still to learn load heavy items on pallets required
- still to learn pallets loading required
- still to learn pick orders for dispatching required
- still to learn use warehouse marking tools required
- still to learn dispose of non-hazardous waste required
- still to learn secure goods required
- still to learn sort waste required
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held use barcode scanning equipment optional
- optional, not held assemble goods optional
- optional, not held clean warehouse optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
- still to learn follow stock control instructions required
- still to learn maintain physical condition of warehouse required
- still to learn implement efficiency plans for logistics operations required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- still to learn process incoming construction supplies required
- still to learn inspect construction supplies required
- optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- still to learn operate warehouse materials required
- optional, not held shunt inbound loads optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- optional, not held handle fragile items optional
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held safety regulations for warehouses optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a materials handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 dispatch order processing practise this
- 02 follow stock control instructions practise this
- 03 load heavy items on pallets 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held inventory management rules knowledge
- already held maintain stock control systems skill
- already held manage warehouse inventory skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held products coding system knowledge
- already held stack goods skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
- optional, not held handle fragile items optional
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- optional, not held safety regulations for warehouses optional
- optional, not held shunt inbound loads optional
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held use barcode scanning equipment optional
- optional, not held assemble goods optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held clean warehouse optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held follow written instructions optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
17 held skills the materials handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role carry out inventory control accuracy skill
- not needed by the target role carry out inventory planning skill
- not needed by the target role check for damaged items skill
- not needed by the target role develop communication networks with shipping sites skill
- not needed by the target role ensure stock storage safety skill
- not needed by the target role handle returns skill
- not needed by the target role issue purchase orders skill
- not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
- not needed by the target role order supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee stock quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform clerical duties skill
- not needed by the target role receive goods skill
- not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
- not needed by the target role warehouse operations 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.
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- optional, not held safety regulations for warehouses optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Other moves recorded from inventory coordinator
Common questions about this move
Can an inventory coordinator become a materials handler?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An inventory coordinator already covers 21% of what a materials handler is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 6 of which the materials handler role treats as required.
What skills does an inventory coordinator need to become a materials handler?
16 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is dispatch order processing.
How hard is the move from inventory coordinator to materials handler?
Its learning distance is 79 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.