Non-destructive testing specialist to material testing technician
A non-destructive testing specialist already meets 42% of what the material testing technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
55.8/ 100
1 How much of what a material testing technician is expected to do is already part of a non-destructive testing specialist’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 material testing technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A material testing technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a non-destructive testing specialist already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- maintain test equipment
- quality standards
- record test data
- report test findings
- use testing equipment
- wear appropriate protective gear
What stands in the way is 7 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 material testing technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a non-destructive testing specialist background worth leading with.
- already held develop material testing procedures information skills
- already held use non-destructive testing equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain test equipment constructing
- already held report test findings information skills
- already held analyse test data information skills
All 11 carried skills, including the 6 the material testing technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 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 operate scientific measuring equipment required
- still to learn perform laboratory tests required
- still to learn advanced materials required
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- still to learn collect samples required
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- still to learn apply safety procedures in laboratory required
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a material testing technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 advanced materials study this
- 02 apply safety procedures in laboratory practise this
- 03 collect samples 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 maintain test equipment skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held record test data skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held assist scientific research skill
- already held develop material testing procedures skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held use non-destructive testing equipment skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
- optional, not held label samples optional
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held build business relationships optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held collect samples for analysis optional
- optional, not held conduct field work optional
- optional, not held physics optional
- optional, not held provide technical expertise optional
13 held skills the material testing technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine civil structures skill
- not needed by the target role identify defects in concrete skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role lead inspections skill
- not needed by the target role make radiographic images skill
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role non-destructive testing knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform liquid penetrant tests skill
- not needed by the target role train employees skill
- not needed by the target role use ultrasonic equipment skill
7 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 advanced materials required
- still to learn health, safety and hygiene legislation required
- still to learn materials engineering required
- optional, not held rubber technology optional
- optional, not held biology optional
- optional, not held chemistry optional
- optional, not held physics optional
Other moves recorded from non-destructive testing specialist
Common questions about this move
Can a non-destructive testing specialist become a material testing technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A non-destructive testing specialist already covers 42% of what a material testing technician is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 6 of which the material testing technician role treats as required.
What skills does a non-destructive testing specialist need to become a material testing technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 11 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 advanced materials.
How hard is the move from non-destructive testing specialist to material testing technician?
Its learning distance is 55.8 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.