RecordMove

Material testing technician to soil surveying technician

A material testing technician already meets 25% of what the soil surveying technician role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From material testing technician

Distant match

To soil surveying technician

7 You already bring

13 Still to learn

37 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance Substantial retraining

73.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a soil surveying technician is expected to do is already part of a material testing technician’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 soil surveying technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A soil surveying technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a material testing technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

apply safety procedures in laboratory
collect samples
collect samples for analysis
conduct field work
conduct soil sample tests
perform laboratory tests

What stands in the way is 13 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A soil surveying technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a material testing technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held conduct soil sample tests information skills
already held collect samples handling and moving
already held conduct field work information skills
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
already held biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held perform laboratory tests working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the soil surveying technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 30 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 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 4 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn ecology required
still to learn geology required
still to learn laboratory techniques required
still to learn soil science required

optional, not held geography optional
optional, not held mathematics optional

02 information skills 2 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn gather experimental data required
still to learn prepare surveying report required

optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
optional, not held record survey data optional
optional, not held perform scientific research optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required

still to learn operate surveying instruments required
still to learn adjust surveying equipment required

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 8 supplementary

still to learn soil mechanics required

optional, not held cartography optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held surveying methods optional
optional, not held topography optional
optional, not held civil engineering optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held pollution prevention optional
optional, not held surveying optional

05 agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn soil structure required

optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held agronomy optional

06 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn write work-related reports required

optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a soil surveying 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 7 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
already held collect samples skill
already held collect samples for analysis skill
already held conduct field work skill
already held conduct soil sample tests skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held biology knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 assisting and caring 1 required

still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required

08 business, administration and law 1 required

still to learn environmental legislation required

17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held advise on nature conservation optional
optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held cartography optional
optional, not held conduct land surveys optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held monitor geotechnical structures optional
optional, not held record survey data optional
optional, not held surveying methods optional
optional, not held topography optional
optional, not held agronomy optional
optional, not held civil engineering optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held geography optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held perform scientific research optional
optional, not held pollution prevention optional
optional, not held surveying optional

22 held skills the soil surveying technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advanced materials knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse stress resistance of materials skill
not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role develop material testing procedures skill
not needed by the target role health, safety and hygiene legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role label samples skill
not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
not needed by the target role maintain test equipment skill
not needed by the target role materials engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role operate scientific measuring equipment skill
not needed by the target role physics knowledge
not needed by the target role provide technical expertise skill
not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
not needed by the target role record test data skill
not needed by the target role report test findings skill
not needed by the target role rubber technology knowledge
not needed by the target role use non-destructive testing equipment skill
not needed by the target role use testing equipment skill
not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear skill

19 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 soil mechanics required
still to learn soil structure required
still to learn ecology required
still to learn environmental legislation required
still to learn geology required
still to learn laboratory techniques required
still to learn soil science required
optional, not held agroforestry optional
optional, not held cartography optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held surveying methods optional
optional, not held topography optional
optional, not held agronomy optional
optional, not held civil engineering optional
optional, not held engineering principles optional
optional, not held geography optional
optional, not held mathematics optional
optional, not held pollution prevention optional
optional, not held surveying optional

Index

Other moves recorded from material testing technician

Full index of moves from material testing technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a material testing technician become a soil surveying technician?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. A material testing technician already covers 25% of what a soil surveying technician is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the soil surveying technician role treats as required.

What skills does a material testing technician need to become a soil surveying technician?

13 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by natural sciences, mathematics and statistics. The single most important is operate surveying instruments.

How hard is the move from material testing technician to soil surveying technician?

Its learning distance is 73.6 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.