Optical technician to optical instrument repairer
An optical technician already meets 28% of what the optical instrument repairer role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
73.6/ 100
1 How much of what an optical instrument repairer 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 repairer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An optical instrument repairer 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 optical measuring equipment
- optical glass characteristics
- smooth glass surface
- types of optical instruments
What stands in the way is 17 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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An optical instrument repairer 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.
- 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 operate optical measuring equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held order optical supplies communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held smooth glass surface handling and moving
All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the optical instrument repairer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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 cut glass required
- still to learn repair optical equipment required
- still to learn use tools for construction and repair required
- still to learn remove defective products required
- still to learn use precision tools required
- still to learn operate automated optical inspection machine required
- still to learn operate optical assembly equipment required
- still to learn perform minor repairs to equipment required
- still to learn replace defect components required
- optional, not held maintain optical equipment optional
- optional, not held colour glass optional
- still to learn blueprints 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
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held test optical components optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn ensure conformity to specifications required
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- still to learn quality standards required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an optical instrument repairer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 cut glass practise this
- 02 operate automated optical inspection machine practise this
- 03 operate optical assembly equipment 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held manipulate glass skill
- already held operate optical equipment skill
- already held operate optical 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 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- still to learn optical equipment standards required
- optional, not held communicate with customers optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
- optional, not held microoptics optional
- optional, not held refractive power optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain optical equipment optional
- optional, not held microoptics optional
- optional, not held optomechanical devices optional
- optional, not held test optical components 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 optical engineering optional
- optional, not held optoelectronic devices optional
- optional, not held refractive power optional
- optional, not held resolve equipment malfunctions optional
29 held skills the optical instrument repairer role does not ask for
- 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 precision 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
9 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 blueprints required
- still to learn glass tempering 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
Common questions about this move
Can an optical technician become an optical instrument repairer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An optical technician already covers 28% of what an optical instrument repairer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the optical instrument repairer role treats as required.
What skills does an optical technician need to become an optical instrument repairer?
17 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is cut glass.
How hard is the move from optical technician to optical instrument repairer?
Its learning distance is 73.6 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.