Materials handler to inventory coordinator
A materials handler already meets 27% of what the inventory coordinator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.5/ 100
1 How much of what an inventory coordinator is expected to do is already part of a materials handler’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 inventory coordinator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An inventory coordinator role treats 3 of its required skills as things a materials handler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- inventory management rules
- maintain stock control systems
- products coding system
What stands in the way is 8 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. An inventory coordinator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a materials handler 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 3 the inventory coordinator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 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 carry out inventory control accuracy required
- still to learn monitor stock level required
- still to learn check for damaged items required
- optional, not held oversee stock quality control optional
- still to learn carry out inventory planning required
- still to learn manage inventory required
- optional, not held issue purchase orders optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
- still to learn ensure stock storage safety required
- still to learn mathematics required
- still to learn use spreadsheets software required
- optional, not held develop communication networks with shipping sites optional
- optional, not held handle returns optional
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an inventory coordinator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 carry out inventory control accuracy practise this
- 02 carry out inventory planning practise this
- 03 ensure stock storage safety 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 products coding system knowledge
- already held manage warehouse inventory skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held stack goods skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held receive goods optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop communication networks with shipping sites optional
- optional, not held handle returns optional
- optional, not held issue purchase orders optional
- optional, not held oversee stock quality control optional
- optional, not held receive goods optional
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held order supplies optional
- optional, not held perform clerical duties optional
34 held skills the inventory coordinator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assemble goods skill
- not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role check compatibility of materials skill
- not needed by the target role clean warehouse skill
- not needed by the target role dispatch order processing skill
- not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role dispose of non-hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role follow stock control instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle fragile items skill
- not needed by the target role hazardous materials transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role load heavy items on pallets skill
- not needed by the target role maintain physical condition of warehouse skill
- not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate warehouse materials skill
- not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role pack goods skill
- not needed by the target role pallets loading skill
- not needed by the target role pick orders for dispatching skill
- not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role road transport legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
- not needed by the target role secure goods skill
- not needed by the target role shunt inbound loads skill
- not needed by the target role sort waste skill
- not needed by the target role transport construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role use barcode scanning equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role use warehouse marking tools skill
2 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 mathematics required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a materials handler become an inventory coordinator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A materials handler already covers 27% of what an inventory coordinator is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 3 of which the inventory coordinator role treats as required.
What skills does a materials handler need to become an inventory coordinator?
8 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is carry out inventory control accuracy.
How hard is the move from materials handler to inventory coordinator?
Its learning distance is 66.5 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.