Table 1Transition record

scientific laboratory techniciantobiochemistry technician

A scientific laboratory technician already meets 51% of what the biochemistry technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From scientific laboratory technician

51%

Overlap1

To biochemistry technician

20 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

55 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

51%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

55/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 Share of the biochemistry technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the scientific laboratory technician profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A biochemistry technician role treats 13 of its required skills as things a scientific laboratory technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

analyse experimental laboratory data
apply safety procedures in laboratory
assist in the production of laboratory documentation
biological chemistry
biology
calibrate laboratory equipment

What stands in the way is 10 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 20 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A biochemistry technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a scientific laboratory technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held conduct routine blood testing information skills
already held examine samples in dermatology information skills
already held assist in the production of laboratory documentation information skills
already held analyse blood samples information skills
already held clinical cytology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held stem cells natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 20 carried skills, including the 13 the biochemistry technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held genetics required
required, not held laboratory equipment required

optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held toxicology optional

02 information skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held apply scientific methods required
required, not held perform scientific research required

optional, not held keep task records optional

03 health and welfare 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held biotechnology required

optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held write technical reports required

optional, not held write research proposals optional

05 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held use laboratory equipment required

optional, not held perform chemical experiments optional

06 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a biochemistry technician 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 20 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse experimental laboratory data skill
already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
already held assist in the production of laboratory documentation skill
already held biological chemistry knowledge
already held biology knowledge
already held calibrate laboratory equipment skill
already held collect samples for analysis skill
already held conduct routine blood testing skill
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held life sciences knowledge
already held maintain laboratory equipment skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held stem cells knowledge
already held analyse blood samples skill
already held analyse cell cultures skill
already held clinical cytology knowledge
already held examine samples in dermatology skill
already held label samples skill
already held microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
already held virology knowledge

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

required, not held solid phase microextraction required

08 management skills 1 required

required, not held manage inventory required

09 working with computers 2 supplementary

optional, not held maintain freelance database optional
optional, not held prepare visual data optional

10 handling and moving 1 supplementary

optional, not held preserve samples optional

11 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional

14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional
optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional
optional, not held keep task records optional
optional, not held maintain freelance database optional
optional, not held perform chemical experiments optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held prepare visual data optional
optional, not held preserve samples optional
optional, not held toxicology optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional

62 held skills the biochemistry technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse samples of food and beverages skill
not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role answer patients' questions skill
not needed by the target role archive healthcare users' records skill
not needed by the target role archive scientific documentation skill
not needed by the target role assist scientific research skill
not needed by the target role automated analysers in the medical laboratory knowledge
not needed by the target role blood collection on babies knowledge
not needed by the target role blood donation knowledge
not needed by the target role blood transfusion knowledge
not needed by the target role blood type classification knowledge
not needed by the target role carry out quality control in microbiology laboratories skill
not needed by the target role check material resources skill
not needed by the target role check the received biological samples skill
not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role clinical biochemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role collect biological samples from patients skill
not needed by the target role communicate in healthcare skill
not needed by the target role cryopreservation knowledge
not needed by the target role data protection knowledge
not needed by the target role develop scientific research protocols skill
not needed by the target role dispose medical waste skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role examine cell specimens microscopically skill
not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
not needed by the target role explain the molecular basis of a disease to patients skill
not needed by the target role fine-needle aspiration knowledge
not needed by the target role histopathology knowledge
not needed by the target role identify patients' medical records skill
not needed by the target role immunology knowledge
not needed by the target role interpret electromyograms skill
not needed by the target role interpret hematological test results skill
not needed by the target role interpret medical results skill
not needed by the target role label blood samples skill
not needed by the target role maintain healthcare user data confidentiality skill
not needed by the target role maintain medical laboratory equipment skill
not needed by the target role manage chemical processes inspection skill
not needed by the target role manage chemical testing procedures skill
not needed by the target role manage supplies skill
not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge

22 further entries not listed here

13 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 acquire Tier

required, not held genetics required
required, not held laboratory equipment required
required, not held solid phase microextraction required
required, not held biotechnology required
required, not held scientific research methodology required
optional, not held computational chemistry optional
optional, not held endocrinology optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held analytical chemistry optional
optional, not held communicable diseases optional
optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held toxicology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from scientific laboratory technician

Full index of moves from scientific laboratory technician

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.