Surface-mount technology machine operator to printed circuit board test technician
A surface-mount technology machine operator already meets 36% of what the printed circuit board test technician role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.9/ 100
1 How much of what a printed circuit board test technician is expected to do is already part of a surface-mount technology 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 printed circuit board test technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A printed circuit board test technician role treats 9 of its required skills as things a surface-mount technology machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- check for solder defects
- electronics
- ensure conformity to specifications
- inspect quality of products
- interpret circuit diagrams
- printed circuit boards
What stands in the way is 17 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 18 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A printed circuit board test technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a surface-mount technology machine operator background worth leading with.
- already held operate automated optical inspection machine working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held check for solder defects constructing
- already held surface-mount technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
- already held microelectronics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 18 carried skills, including the 9 the printed circuit board test technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 missing skills fall into 11 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 in-circuit test required
- still to learn electronic equipment standards required
- still to learn instrument performance elements required
- still to learn integrated circuits required
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- still to learn perform in-circuit test required
- still to learn test printed circuit boards required
- still to learn perform test run required
- optional, not held apply soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held test hardware optional
- still to learn communicate test results to other departments required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held research equipment needs optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
- still to learn ensure material compliance required
- still to learn measure electrical characteristics required
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- still to learn abide by regulations on banned materials required
- still to learn process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006 required
- still to learn send faulty equipment back to assembly line required
- optional, not held remove defective products optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a printed circuit board test technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 abide by regulations on banned materials practise this
- 02 ensure material compliance practise this
- 03 in-circuit test 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 18 skills that carry over
- already held check for solder defects skill
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
- already held printed circuit boards knowledge
- already held read assembly drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
- already held IPC standards knowledge
- already held apply technical communication skills skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held microelectronics knowledge
- already held monitor machine operations skill
- already held operate automated optical inspection machine skill
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
- already held surface-mount technology knowledge
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn printed circuit boards testing methods required
- optional, not held hardware testing methods optional
- still to learn quality assurance procedures required
- still to learn meet deadlines required
- optional, not held automated optical inspection optional
- optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held automated optical inspection optional
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held apply soldering techniques optional
- optional, not held hardware testing methods optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held remove defective products optional
- optional, not held research equipment needs optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
- optional, not held test hardware optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
18 held skills the printed circuit board test technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role assemble printed circuit boards skill
- not needed by the target role carry out shipping orders for parts skill
- not needed by the target role clean printed circuit board skill
- not needed by the target role coat printed circuit board skill
- not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate SMT placement equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate wave soldering machine skill
- not needed by the target role oversee logistics of finished products skill
- not needed by the target role prepare board for soldering skill
- not needed by the target role provide power connection from bus bars skill
- not needed by the target role repair electronic components skill
- not needed by the target role replace defect components skill
- not needed by the target role solder components onto electronic board skill
- not needed by the target role use CAM software skill
- not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
11 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 in-circuit test required
- still to learn electronic equipment standards required
- still to learn instrument performance elements required
- still to learn integrated circuits required
- still to learn printed circuit boards testing methods required
- still to learn quality assurance procedures required
- optional, not held automated optical inspection optional
- optional, not held through-hole technology optional
- optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
- optional, not held hardware testing methods optional
- optional, not held semiconductors optional
Other moves recorded from surface-mount technology machine operator
- wave soldering machine operator 78% covered · adjacent
- printed circuit board assembler 54% covered · moderate
- automated optical inspection operator 52% covered · moderate
- semiconductor processor 37% covered · substantial
Full index of moves from surface-mount technology machine operator
Common questions about this move
Can a surface-mount technology machine operator become a printed circuit board test technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A surface-mount technology machine operator already covers 36% of what a printed circuit board test technician is expected to do: 18 skills carry over, 9 of which the printed circuit board test technician role treats as required.
What skills does a surface-mount technology machine operator need to become a printed circuit board test technician?
17 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is abide by regulations on banned materials.
How hard is the move from surface-mount technology machine operator to printed circuit board test technician?
Its learning distance is 68.9 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.