RecordMove

Optical technician to optical instrument assembler

An optical technician already meets 22% of what the optical instrument assembler role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.

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

From optical technician

Distant match

To optical instrument assembler

10 You already bring

21 Still to learn

51 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

80.5/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an optical instrument assembler is expected to do is already part of an optical 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 optical instrument assembler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An optical instrument assembler role treats 7 of its required skills as things an optical technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

manipulate glass
operate optical equipment
operate precision measuring equipment
optical glass characteristics
smooth glass surface
types of optical instruments

What stands in the way is 21 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An optical instrument assembler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an optical technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held operate optical equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held cut lenses for eyeglasses handling and moving
already held verify lenses compliance information skills
already held order optical supplies communication, collaboration and creativity
already held smooth glass surface handling and moving
already held optical glass characteristics engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the optical instrument assembler role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 41 missing skills fall into 13 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 handling and moving 8 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn centre lenses required
still to learn clean optical components required
still to learn cut glass required
still to learn join lenses required
still to learn mount optical components on frames required
still to learn grind glass required
still to learn remove defective products required
still to learn use precision tools required

optional, not held repair optical equipment optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn optical manufacturing process required
still to learn glass coatings required
still to learn glass tempering required

optional, not held optomechanical devices optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held optoelectronic devices optional

03 information skills 3 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn inspect quality of products required
still to learn read assembly drawings required
still to learn report defective manufacturing materials required

optional, not held test optical components optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held monitor machine operations optional

04 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn operate optical assembly equipment required

optional, not held maintain optical equipment optional
optional, not held adjust manufacturing equipment optional
optional, not held colour glass optional
optional, not held replace defect components optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required, 3 supplementary

still to learn ensure conformity to specifications required

optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
optional, not held wear cleanroom suit optional

06 management skills 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn meet deadlines required

optional, not held process customer orders optional

7 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an optical instrument assembler 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 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held manipulate glass skill
already held operate optical equipment skill
already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
already held optical glass characteristics knowledge
already held smooth glass surface skill
already held types of optical instruments knowledge
already held verify lenses compliance skill
already held cut lenses for eyeglasses skill
already held optics knowledge
already held order optical supplies skill

The 7 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 business, administration and law 1 required

still to learn quality standards required

08 constructing 1 required

still to learn apply optical coating required

09 health and welfare 1 required

still to learn optical components required

10 services 1 required

still to learn optical equipment standards required

11 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 supplementary

optional, not held communicate with customers optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional

12 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary

optional, not held microoptics optional
optional, not held refractive power optional

13 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use CAM software optional

20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held maintain optical equipment optional
optional, not held microoptics optional
optional, not held optomechanical devices optional
optional, not held repair optical equipment optional
optional, not held test optical components optional
optional, not held adjust manufacturing equipment optional
optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
optional, not held colour glass optional
optional, not held communicate with customers optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held monitor machine operations optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held optoelectronic devices optional
optional, not held process customer orders optional
optional, not held refractive power optional
optional, not held replace defect components optional
optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
optional, not held use CAM software optional
optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional
optional, not held wear cleanroom suit optional

29 held skills the optical instrument assembler role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise customers on optical instruments maintenance skill
not needed by the target role apply a protective layer skill
not needed by the target role characteristics of faces knowledge
not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
not needed by the target role characteristics of services knowledge
not needed by the target role clean glass surfaces skill
not needed by the target role comply with legislation related to health care skill
not needed by the target role comply with optical prescriptions skill
not needed by the target role dispense corrective lenses skill
not needed by the target role e-procurement knowledge
not needed by the target role eye protection regulations knowledge
not needed by the target role handle contact lenses skill
not needed by the target role maintain records of clients' prescriptions skill
not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
not needed by the target role manufacturer's recommended price knowledge
not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
not needed by the target role operate optical measuring equipment skill
not needed by the target role optical instruments knowledge
not needed by the target role perform frames' repairs skill
not needed by the target role perform maintenance on eyewear skill
not needed by the target role perform technical tasks with great care skill
not needed by the target role prepare optical laboratory activities skill
not needed by the target role product comprehension knowledge
not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
not needed by the target role sell optical products skill
not needed by the target role smooth glass edges skill
not needed by the target role supply chain principles knowledge
not needed by the target role use CAD software skill
not needed by the target role use ophthalmic instruments skill

11 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 optical manufacturing process required
still to learn glass coatings required
still to learn glass tempering required
still to learn optical components required
still to learn optical equipment standards required
still to learn quality standards required
optional, not held microoptics optional
optional, not held optomechanical devices optional
optional, not held optical engineering optional
optional, not held optoelectronic devices optional
optional, not held refractive power optional

Index

Other moves recorded from optical technician

Full index of moves from optical technician

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an optical technician become an optical instrument assembler?

Yes, and it is a career change move. An optical technician already covers 22% of what an optical instrument assembler is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the optical instrument assembler role treats as required.

What skills does an optical technician need to become an optical instrument assembler?

21 required skills are missing, plus 20 optional ones. They fall into 13 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is apply optical coating.

How hard is the move from optical technician to optical instrument assembler?

Its learning distance is 80.5 out of 100, which is the career change 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.