Quality engineering technician to non-destructive testing specialist
A quality engineering technician already meets 43% of what the non-destructive testing specialist role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.9/ 100
1 How much of what a non-destructive testing specialist is expected to do is already part of a quality engineering 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 non-destructive testing specialist role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A non-destructive testing specialist role treats 5 of its required skills as things a quality engineering technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create solutions to problems
- non-destructive testing
- quality standards
- record test data
- report test findings
What stands in the way is 5 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A non-destructive testing specialist role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quality engineering technician background worth leading with.
- already held non-destructive testing engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held develop material testing procedures information skills
- already held report test findings information skills
- already held maintain test equipment constructing
- already held analyse test data information skills
- already held record test data information skills
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the non-destructive testing specialist role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 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 use non-destructive testing equipment required
- still to learn use testing equipment required
- optional, not held make radiographic images optional
- optional, not held perform liquid penetrant tests optional
- optional, not held use ultrasonic equipment optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held identify defects in concrete optional
- still to learn examine civil structures required
- still to learn keep records of work progress required
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- still to learn wear appropriate protective gear required
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a non-destructive testing specialist role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 use non-destructive testing equipment practise this
- 02 examine civil structures practise this
- 03 keep records of work progress 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held non-destructive testing knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held record test data skill
- already held report test findings skill
- already held analyse test data skill
- already held develop material testing procedures skill
- already held maintain test equipment skill
- already held train employees skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held make radiographic images optional
- optional, not held perform liquid penetrant tests optional
- optional, not held use ultrasonic equipment optional
- optional, not held assist scientific research optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held identify defects in concrete optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
31 held skills the non-destructive testing specialist role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate test results to other departments skill
- not needed by the target role conduct performance tests skill
- not needed by the target role database quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with company regulations skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role execute software tests skill
- not needed by the target role inspect material skill
- not needed by the target role inspect quality of products skill
- not needed by the target role manage chemical testing procedures skill
- not needed by the target role manage manufacturing documentation skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
- not needed by the target role perform physical stress tests on models skill
- not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality assurance procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role set quality assurance objectives skill
- not needed by the target role statistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role support implementation of quality management systems skill
- not needed by the target role test procedures knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
- not needed by the target role write inspection reports skill
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held mathematics optional
Other moves recorded from quality engineering technician
Common questions about this move
Can a quality engineering technician become a non-destructive testing specialist?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A quality engineering technician already covers 43% of what a non-destructive testing specialist is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the non-destructive testing specialist role treats as required.
What skills does a quality engineering technician need to become a non-destructive testing specialist?
5 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is use non-destructive testing equipment.
How hard is the move from quality engineering technician to non-destructive testing specialist?
Its learning distance is 51.9 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.