Printed circuit board test technician to surface-mount technology machine operator
A printed circuit board test technician already meets 55% of what the surface-mount technology machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
49.4/ 100
1 How much of what a surface-mount technology machine operator is expected to do is already part of a printed circuit board test 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 surface-mount technology machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A surface-mount technology machine operator role treats 11 of its required skills as things a printed circuit board test technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- electronics
- ensure conformity to specifications
- inspect quality of products
- interpret circuit diagrams
- monitor machine operations
- printed circuit boards
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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A surface-mount technology machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a printed circuit board test technician background worth leading with.
- already held operate automated optical inspection machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held check for solder defects constructing
- already held surface-mount technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held microelectronics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 18 carried skills, including the 11 the surface-mount technology machine operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 18 missing skills fall into 6 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 assemble printed circuit boards required
- still to learn clean printed circuit board required
- still to learn prepare board for soldering required
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- still to learn coat printed circuit board required
- still to learn operate SMT placement equipment required
- optional, not held operate wave soldering machine optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic systems optional
- optional, not held repair electronic components optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
- optional, not held use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs optional
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- still to learn solder components onto electronic board required
- optional, not held carry out shipping orders for parts optional
- optional, not held oversee logistics of finished products optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a surface-mount technology machine operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble printed circuit boards practise this
- 02 clean printed circuit board practise this
- 03 coat printed circuit board 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
- already held monitor machine operations skill
- already held printed circuit boards knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read assembly drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
- already held surface-mount technology knowledge
- already held IPC standards knowledge
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held check for solder defects skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held microelectronics knowledge
- already held operate automated optical inspection machine skill
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held carry out shipping orders for parts optional
- optional, not held operate wave soldering machine optional
- optional, not held provide power connection from bus bars optional
- optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic systems optional
- optional, not held oversee logistics of finished products optional
- optional, not held repair electronic components optional
- optional, not held replace defect components optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs optional
30 held skills the surface-mount technology machine operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role abide by regulations on banned materials skill
- not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
- not needed by the target role automated optical inspection knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate test results to other departments skill
- not needed by the target role electronic equipment standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure material compliance skill
- not needed by the target role hardware testing methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role in-circuit test knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrument performance elements knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrated circuits knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain test equipment skill
- not needed by the target role measure electrical characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
- not needed by the target role perform in-circuit test skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role printed circuit boards testing methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006 skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role remove defective products skill
- not needed by the target role research equipment needs skill
- not needed by the target role semiconductors knowledge
- not needed by the target role send faulty equipment back to assembly line skill
- not needed by the target role test hardware skill
- not needed by the target role test printed circuit boards skill
- not needed by the target role through-hole technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
- not needed by the target role waste removal regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
- not needed by the target role write records for repairs skill
Other moves recorded from printed circuit board test technician
- electronic equipment inspector 62% covered · moderate
- precision device inspector 62% covered · moderate
- computer hardware test technician 61% covered · moderate
- wave soldering machine operator 54% covered · moderate
Full index of moves from printed circuit board test technician
Common questions about this move
Can a printed circuit board test technician become a surface-mount technology machine operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A printed circuit board test technician already covers 55% of what a surface-mount technology machine operator is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 11 of which the surface-mount technology machine operator role treats as required.
What skills does a printed circuit board test technician need to become a surface-mount technology machine operator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is assemble printed circuit boards.
How hard is the move from printed circuit board test technician to surface-mount technology machine operator?
Its learning distance is 49.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.