Materials handler to warehouse worker
A materials handler already meets 38% of what the warehouse worker role asks for. The move turns on 24 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.9/ 100
1 How much of what a warehouse worker 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 worker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A warehouse worker role treats 16 of its required skills as things a materials handler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- dispatch order processing
- follow stock control instructions
- implement efficiency plans for logistics operations
- maintain physical condition of warehouse
- maintain stock control systems
- manage warehouse inventory
What stands in the way is 24 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 23 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A warehouse worker 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 dispatch order processing handling and moving
- already held follow stock control instructions communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use warehouse marking tools handling and moving
- already held clean warehouse handling and moving
- already held use barcode scanning equipment handling and moving
- already held products coding system business, administration and law
All 23 carried skills, including the 16 the warehouse worker role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 43 missing skills fall into 10 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 apply techniques for stacking goods into containers required
- still to learn assist in the movement of heavy loads required
- still to learn clean industrial containers required
- still to learn identify damaged goods before shipment required
- still to learn manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities required
- still to learn match goods with appropriate packaging according to security procedures required
- still to learn receive goods required
- still to learn lift heavy weights required
- still to learn load products for dispatch required
- still to learn perform cleaning duties required
- optional, not held receive shipment packaging information optional
- optional, not held manage packaging material optional
- still to learn handle paperwork related to warehouse stock required
- still to learn handle shipment paperwork required
- still to learn monitor stock level required
- still to learn check for damaged items required
- still to learn control of expenses required
- still to learn have spatial awareness required
- optional, not held ensure quality control in packaging optional
- optional, not held monitor packaging operations optional
- optional, not held oversee stock quality control optional
- optional, not held analyse packaging requirements optional
- optional, not held organise information optional
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- still to learn stay alert required
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held handle returns optional
- optional, not held work in a logistics team optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
- still to learn operate package processing equipment required
- still to learn operate weighing machine required
- optional, not held carry out ship-to-shore operations optional
- optional, not held tend packaging machines optional
- still to learn have computer literacy required
- optional, not held use a warehouse management system optional
- still to learn use rigging tools required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a warehouse worker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 handle paperwork related to warehouse stock practise this
- 02 apply techniques for stacking goods into containers practise this
- 03 assist in the movement of heavy loads 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 23 skills that carry over
- already held dispatch order processing skill
- already held follow stock control instructions skill
- already held implement efficiency plans for logistics operations 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 materials skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held pallets loading skill
- already held pick orders for dispatching skill
- already held products coding system knowledge
- already held secure goods skill
- already held sort waste skill
- already held stack goods skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use warehouse marking tools skill
- already held assemble goods skill
- already held clean warehouse skill
- already held follow written instructions skill
- already held freight transport methods knowledge
- already held handle fragile items skill
- already held safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
- already held use barcode scanning equipment skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn plan shifts of employees required
- still to learn types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
- optional, not held packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held product packaging requirements optional
- optional, not held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held apply procedures to ensure cargo complies with customs regulations optional
- optional, not held apply transportation management concepts optional
- optional, not held carry out ship-to-shore operations optional
- optional, not held ensure quality control in packaging optional
- optional, not held handle returns optional
- optional, not held monitor packaging operations optional
- optional, not held oversee stock quality control optional
- optional, not held receive shipment packaging information optional
- optional, not held work in a logistics team optional
- optional, not held adapt to changing situations optional
- optional, not held analyse packaging requirements optional
- optional, not held cooperate with colleagues optional
- optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
- optional, not held manage packaging material optional
- optional, not held organise information optional
- optional, not held packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held product packaging requirements optional
- optional, not held tend packaging machines optional
- optional, not held use a warehouse management system optional
17 held skills the warehouse worker 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 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 hazardous materials transportation knowledge
- 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 order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role pack goods 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 shunt inbound loads skill
- not needed by the target role transport construction supplies 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 packaging engineering optional
- optional, not held product packaging requirements optional
Common questions about this move
Can a materials handler become a warehouse worker?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A materials handler already covers 38% of what a warehouse worker is expected to do: 23 skills carry over, 16 of which the warehouse worker role treats as required.
What skills does a materials handler need to become a warehouse worker?
24 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is handle paperwork related to warehouse stock.
How hard is the move from materials handler to warehouse worker?
Its learning distance is 72.9 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.