Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Lithographer to flexographic press operator

A lithographer already meets 38% of what the flexographic press operator role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From lithographer
38 % overlap
Distant match
To flexographic press operator
14 You already bring
11 Still to learn
38 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.8/ 100

1 How much of what a flexographic press operator is expected to do is already part of a lithographer’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 flexographic press operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A flexographic press operator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a lithographer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • follow production schedule
  • follow safety precautions in printing
  • prepare printing form
  • printing materials
  • printing techniques
  • produce prepress proof

What stands in the way is 11 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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A flexographic press operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a lithographer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held screen printing inks arts and humanities
  • already held prepare printing form working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held mix ink handling and moving
  • already held printing plate making arts and humanities
  • already held produce prepress proof handling and moving
  • already held printing media arts and humanities

All 14 carried skills, including the 7 the flexographic press operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 24 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 working with machinery and specialised equipment 3 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn operate flexographic printing machine required
  • still to learn monitor automated machines required
  • still to learn supply machine required
  • optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
  • optional, not held tend laser marking machine optional
02 arts and humanities 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn polygraphy required
  • still to learn printing on large scale machines required
  • optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
  • optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
03 handling and moving 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn clean ink rollers required
  • still to learn determine colour shades required
  • optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
  • optional, not held pack goods optional
04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn flexography required
  • optional, not held types of paper optional
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
06 constructing 1 required
  • still to learn perform test run required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a flexographic press operator 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 14 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held follow production schedule skill
  • already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
  • already held prepare printing form skill
  • already held printing materials knowledge
  • already held printing techniques knowledge
  • already held produce prepress proof skill
  • already held quality standards knowledge
  • already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
  • already held mix ink skill
  • already held perform machine maintenance skill
  • already held printing media knowledge
  • already held printing plate making knowledge
  • already held screen printing inks knowledge
  • already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 working with computers 1 required
  • still to learn set up the controller of a machine required
08 information skills 6 supplementary
  • optional, not held inspect printing output optional
  • optional, not held process printing input optional
  • optional, not held consult technical resources optional
  • optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
  • optional, not held record production data for quality control optional
  • optional, not held report defective manufacturing materials optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
  • optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
  • optional, not held inspect printing output optional
  • optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
  • optional, not held process printing input optional
  • optional, not held types of paper optional
  • optional, not held consult technical resources optional
  • optional, not held handle chemical cleaning agents optional
  • optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
  • optional, not held pack goods optional
  • optional, not held record production data for quality control optional
  • optional, not held report defective manufacturing materials optional
  • optional, not held tend laser marking machine optional
29 held skills the flexographic press operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role apply opaque skill
  • not needed by the target role digital printing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role edit negatives skill
  • not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
  • not needed by the target role ink printing plates skill
  • not needed by the target role lay out digital written content skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain lithographic printing plates skill
  • not needed by the target role manage inventory skill
  • not needed by the target role manage offset printing process skill
  • not needed by the target role offset printing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate laser plate maker machine skill
  • not needed by the target role order supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
  • not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
  • not needed by the target role photoengraving knowledge
  • not needed by the target role prepare colour mixtures skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare films for printing plates skill
  • not needed by the target role prevent paper jams skill
  • not needed by the target role print stripping knowledge
  • not needed by the target role printed goods processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role proofing methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role read job ticket instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role reduce dots skill
  • not needed by the target role scale copies skill
  • not needed by the target role scan negatives skill
  • not needed by the target role set scanner controls skill
  • not needed by the target role store negatives skill
  • not needed by the target role train employees skill
  • not needed by the target role use colour printing programs 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 pick up Tier
  • still to learn flexography required
  • still to learn polygraphy required
  • still to learn printing on large scale machines required
  • optional, not held narrow web flexographic printing press optional
  • optional, not held wide web flexographic printing press optional
  • optional, not held types of paper optional
Index

Other moves recorded from lithographer

Full index of moves from lithographer

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a lithographer become a flexographic press operator?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A lithographer already covers 38% of what a flexographic press operator is expected to do: 14 skills carry over, 7 of which the flexographic press operator role treats as required.

What skills does a lithographer need to become a flexographic press operator?

11 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is flexography.

How hard is the move from lithographer to flexographic press operator?

Its learning distance is 63.8 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.