Radio technician to telecommunications technician
A radio technician already meets 23% of what the telecommunications technician role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
80.6/ 100
1 How much of what a telecommunications technician is expected to do is already part of a radio 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 telecommunications technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A telecommunications technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a radio technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- estimate duration of work
- install electronic communication equipment
- install low voltage wiring
- operate electronic measuring instruments
- operate signal generator
- solder electronics
What stands in the way is 20 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. A telecommunications technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a radio technician background worth leading with.
- already held operate signal generator working with computers
- already held use a complex communication system working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held install electronic communication equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operate electronic measuring instruments working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held install low voltage wiring working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held solder electronics constructing
All 10 carried skills, including the 6 the telecommunications technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 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 install cable TV services required
- still to learn install signal repeaters required
- still to learn operate call distribution system required
- still to learn operate digging construction equipment required
- still to learn operate private branch exchange required
- still to learn operate two-way radio systems required
- still to learn use communication equipment required
- still to learn operate aerial work platforms required
- still to learn repair wiring required
- still to learn seal wires required
- still to learn splice cable required
- still to learn ICT communications protocols required
- still to learn concepts of telecommunications required
- still to learn telecommunication trunking required
- optional, not held telecom regulations optional
- still to learn use session border controller required
- still to learn upgrade firmware required
- optional, not held design failover solutions optional
- optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
- optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
- optional, not held maintain internet protocol configuration optional
- optional, not held use access control software optional
- optional, not held use computer telephony integration optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
- still to learn log transmitter readings required
- optional, not held assess telecommunication infrastructure issues optional
- optional, not held monitor communication channels' performance optional
- optional, not held ensure proper document management optional
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
- still to learn procurement of ICT network equipment required
- optional, not held Cisco optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a telecommunications technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT communications protocols study this
- 02 concepts of telecommunications study this
- 03 direct inward dialing study 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 estimate duration of work skill
- already held install electronic communication equipment skill
- already held install low voltage wiring skill
- already held operate electronic measuring instruments skill
- already held operate signal generator skill
- already held solder electronics skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held implement a firewall skill
- already held implement a virtual private network skill
- already held use a complex communication system skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn direct inward dialing required
- optional, not held assist customers optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held design failover solutions optional
- optional, not held Cisco optional
- optional, not held assess telecommunication infrastructure issues optional
- optional, not held assist customers optional
- optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
- optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
- optional, not held maintain internet protocol configuration optional
- optional, not held monitor communication channels' performance optional
- optional, not held telecom regulations optional
- optional, not held use access control software optional
- optional, not held use computer telephony integration optional
- optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
- optional, not held ensure proper document management optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
16 held skills the telecommunications technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role analog electronics theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role assemble telecommunications devices skill
- not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
- not needed by the target role electromagnetism knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect cables skill
- not needed by the target role install monitors for process control skill
- not needed by the target role interpret electronic design specifications skill
- not needed by the target role interpret technical information for electronic repair work skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain radio communications equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain theatre equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage ICT project skill
- not needed by the target role microwave principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role solve location and navigation problems by using GPS tools skill
- not needed by the target role use repair manuals 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 ICT communications protocols required
- still to learn concepts of telecommunications required
- still to learn direct inward dialing required
- still to learn procurement of ICT network equipment required
- still to learn telecommunication trunking required
- optional, not held Cisco optional
- optional, not held telecom regulations optional
Common questions about this move
Can a radio technician become a telecommunications technician?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A radio technician already covers 23% of what a telecommunications technician is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 6 of which the telecommunications technician role treats as required.
What skills does a radio technician need to become a telecommunications technician?
20 required skills are missing, plus 15 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 ICT communications protocols.
How hard is the move from radio technician to telecommunications technician?
Its learning distance is 80.6 out of 100, which is the career change 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.