Materials handler to warehouse order picker
A materials handler already meets 38% of what the warehouse order picker role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.1/ 100
1 How much of what a warehouse order picker 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 warehouse order picker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A warehouse order picker role treats 10 of its required skills as things a materials handler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow written instructions
- maintain physical condition of warehouse
- maintain stock control systems
- manage warehouse inventory
- operate warehouse record systems
- pick orders for dispatching
What stands in the way is 15 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A warehouse order picker 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 use warehouse marking tools handling and moving
- already held pick orders for dispatching handling and moving
- already held maintain physical condition of warehouse communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held operate warehouse record systems information skills
- already held assemble goods handling and moving
- already held maintain stock control systems handling and moving
All 11 carried skills, including the 10 the warehouse order picker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 9 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 check shipments required
- still to learn operate voice picking systems required
- still to learn store warehouse goods required
- still to learn use packaging equipment required
- still to learn lift heavy weights required
- still to learn operate chainsaw required
- optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
- optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
- still to learn process orders from online shop required
- still to learn weigh shipments required
- still to learn ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space required
- still to learn process customer orders required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
- still to learn maintain material handling equipment required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a warehouse order picker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain material handling equipment practise this
- 02 check shipments practise this
- 03 ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space 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 11 skills that carry over
- already held follow written instructions skill
- already held maintain physical condition of warehouse skill
- already held maintain stock control systems skill
- already held manage warehouse inventory skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held pick orders for dispatching skill
- already held safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
- already held secure goods skill
- already held stack goods skill
- already held use warehouse marking tools skill
- already held assemble goods skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn maintain warehouse database required
- still to learn operate material handling equipment required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
- optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
- optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
29 held skills the warehouse order picker role does not ask for
- 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 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 inventory management rules knowledge
- not needed by the target role load heavy items on pallets 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 process incoming construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role products coding system knowledge
- not needed by the target role road transport legislation knowledge
- 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
3 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 types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- optional, not held warehouse operations optional
- optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a materials handler become a warehouse order picker?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A materials handler already covers 38% of what a warehouse order picker is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 10 of which the warehouse order picker role treats as required.
What skills does a materials handler need to become a warehouse order picker?
15 required skills are missing, plus 5 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is maintain material handling equipment.
How hard is the move from materials handler to warehouse order picker?
Its learning distance is 66.1 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.