Table 1Transition record

scientific laboratory techniciantomaterial testing technician

A scientific laboratory technician already meets 45% of what the material testing technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From scientific laboratory technician

45%

Overlap1

To material testing technician

13 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

52.2 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

45%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

52.2/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the material testing 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 material testing technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a scientific laboratory technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

apply safety procedures in laboratory
operate scientific measuring equipment
perform laboratory tests
record test data
report test findings
wear appropriate protective gear

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

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A material testing 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 apply safety procedures in laboratory assisting and caring
already held assist scientific research communication, collaboration and creativity
already held report test findings information skills
already held operate scientific measuring equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held biology natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held perform laboratory tests working with machinery and specialised equipment

All 13 carried skills, including the 6 the material testing technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 16 missing skills fall into 9 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held materials engineering required

optional, not held rubber technology optional

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

required, not held use testing equipment required

optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional

03 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held quality standards required

04 constructing 1 required

required, not held maintain test equipment required

05 handling and moving 1 required

required, not held collect samples required

06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required

required, not held advanced materials required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a material testing 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 13 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held apply safety procedures in laboratory skill
already held operate scientific measuring equipment skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held record test data skill
already held report test findings skill
already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
already held analyse test data skill
already held assist scientific research skill
already held biology knowledge
already held chemistry knowledge
already held collect samples for analysis skill
already held label samples skill
already held physics knowledge

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 services 1 required

required, not held health, safety and hygiene legislation required

08 information skills 4 supplementary

optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held conduct field work optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional

09 communication, collaboration and creativity 3 supplementary

optional, not held build business relationships optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional

9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held conduct soil sample tests optional
optional, not held rubber technology optional
optional, not held use non-destructive testing equipment optional
optional, not held analyse stress resistance of materials optional
optional, not held build business relationships optional
optional, not held conduct field work optional
optional, not held develop material testing procedures optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held provide technical expertise optional

69 held skills the material testing technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role analyse blood samples skill
not needed by the target role analyse cell cultures skill
not needed by the target role analyse experimental laboratory data skill
not needed by the target role analyse samples of food and beverages 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 in the production of laboratory documentation skill
not needed by the target role automated analysers in the medical laboratory knowledge
not needed by the target role biological chemistry 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 calibrate laboratory equipment skill
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 clinical biochemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role clinical cytology 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 conduct routine blood testing 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 examine samples in dermatology 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

29 further entries not listed here

5 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 advanced materials required
required, not held health, safety and hygiene legislation required
required, not held materials engineering required
required, not held quality standards required
optional, not held rubber technology 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.