Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Screw machine operator to plasma cutting machine operator

A screw machine operator already meets 71% of what the plasma cutting machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From screw machine operator
71 % overlap
Strong match
To plasma cutting machine operator
28 You already bring
3 Still to learn
44 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

35.6/ 100

1 How much of what a plasma cutting machine operator is expected to do is already part of a screw machine operator’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 plasma cutting machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A plasma cutting machine operator role treats 14 of its required skills as things a screw machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • consult technical resources
  • dispose of cutting waste material
  • ensure equipment availability
  • monitor automated machines
  • operate precision measuring equipment
  • perform test run

What stands in the way is 3 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 28 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A plasma cutting machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a screw machine operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held statistical process control natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held manufacturing of heating equipment engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held manufacturing of metal containers engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held cutting technologies engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held dispose of cutting waste material handling and moving
  • already held program a CNC controller working with computers

All 28 carried skills, including the 14 the plasma cutting machine operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 16 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn apply cross-reference tools for product identification required
  • optional, not held mark processed workpiece optional
02 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn plasma torches required
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required
  • still to learn tend plasma cutting machine required
04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 6 supplementary
  • optional, not held manufacturing of cutlery optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of doors from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of steam generators optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of weapons and ammunition optional
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
05 information skills 5 supplementary
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
  • optional, not held apply control process statistical methods optional
  • optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
  • optional, not held interpret geometric dimensions and tolerances optional
  • optional, not held replace machines optional
06 constructing 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a plasma cutting machine operator 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 28 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held consult technical resources skill
  • already held dispose of cutting waste material skill
  • already held ensure equipment availability skill
  • already held monitor automated machines skill
  • already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
  • already held perform test run skill
  • already held quality standards knowledge
  • already held remove inadequate workpieces skill
  • already held remove processed workpiece skill
  • already held set up the controller of a machine skill
  • already held supply machine skill
  • already held troubleshoot skill
  • already held types of metal knowledge
  • already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
  • already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
  • already held cutting technologies knowledge
  • already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
  • already held keep records of work progress skill
  • already held manufacturing of heating equipment knowledge
  • already held manufacturing of metal containers knowledge
  • already held perform product testing skill
  • already held program a CNC controller skill
  • already held quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held record production data for quality control skill
  • already held statistical process control knowledge
  • already held types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
  • already held use CAM software skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held maintain mechanical equipment optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of cutlery optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of doors from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of steam generators optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of weapons and ammunition optional
  • optional, not held monitor stock level optional
  • optional, not held apply control process statistical methods optional
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
  • optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
  • optional, not held interpret geometric dimensions and tolerances optional
  • optional, not held mark processed workpiece optional
  • optional, not held replace machines optional
15 held skills the plasma cutting machine operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role apply preliminary treatment to workpieces skill
  • not needed by the target role dies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role manufacturing of metal assembly products knowledge
  • not needed by the target role metal forming technologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role metal smoothing technologies knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor conveyor belt skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor moving workpiece in a machine skill
  • not needed by the target role perform machine maintenance skill
  • not needed by the target role replace die skill
  • not needed by the target role screw machine parts knowledge
  • not needed by the target role screw manufacturing processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role screw types knowledge
  • not needed by the target role set up automotive robot skill
  • not needed by the target role supply machine with appropriate tools skill
  • not needed by the target role tend screw machine 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn plasma torches required
  • optional, not held manufacturing of cutlery optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of door furniture from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of doors from metal optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of steam generators optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing of weapons and ammunition optional
  • optional, not held electrical engineering optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a screw machine operator become a plasma cutting machine operator?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A screw machine operator already covers 71% of what a plasma cutting machine operator is expected to do: 28 skills carry over, 14 of which the plasma cutting machine operator role treats as required.

What skills does a screw machine operator need to become a plasma cutting machine operator?

3 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is plasma torches.

How hard is the move from screw machine operator to plasma cutting machine operator?

Its learning distance is 35.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

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.