Warehouse order picker to materials handler
A warehouse order picker already meets 32% of what the materials handler role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
70.3/ 100
1 How much of what a materials handler is expected to do is already part of a warehouse order picker’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 materials handler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A materials handler role treats 8 of its required skills as things a warehouse order picker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- maintain physical condition of warehouse
- maintain stock control systems
- manage warehouse inventory
- operate warehouse record systems
- pick orders for dispatching
- secure goods
What stands in the way is 14 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A materials handler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a warehouse order picker background worth leading with.
- already held use warehouse marking tools handling and moving
- already held pick orders for dispatching handling and moving
- already held maintain physical condition of warehouse communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held operate warehouse record systems information skills
- already held assemble goods handling and moving
- already held maintain stock control systems handling and moving
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the materials handler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 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 dispatch order processing required
- still to learn load heavy items on pallets required
- still to learn pallets loading required
- still to learn dispose of non-hazardous waste required
- still to learn sort waste required
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held use barcode scanning equipment optional
- optional, not held clean warehouse optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
- still to learn follow stock control instructions required
- still to learn implement efficiency plans for logistics operations required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- still to learn process incoming construction supplies required
- still to learn inspect construction supplies required
- optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- still to learn products coding system required
- still to learn inventory management rules required
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- still to learn operate warehouse materials required
- optional, not held shunt inbound loads optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- still to learn follow health and safety procedures in construction required
- optional, not held handle fragile items optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a materials handler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 dispatch order processing practise this
- 02 follow stock control instructions practise this
- 03 load heavy items on pallets practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held maintain physical condition of warehouse skill
- already held maintain stock control systems skill
- already held manage warehouse inventory skill
- already held operate warehouse record systems skill
- already held pick orders for dispatching skill
- already held secure goods skill
- already held stack goods skill
- already held use warehouse marking tools skill
- already held assemble goods skill
- already held follow written instructions skill
- already held safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held check compatibility of materials optional
- optional, not held handle fragile items optional
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- optional, not held shunt inbound loads optional
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held use barcode scanning equipment optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held clean warehouse optional
- optional, not held dispose of hazardous waste optional
- optional, not held drive vehicles optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held operate GPS systems optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held pack goods optional
20 held skills the materials handler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check shipments skill
- not needed by the target role comply with checklists skill
- not needed by the target role deliver outstanding service skill
- not needed by the target role ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space skill
- not needed by the target role identify damaged goods before shipment skill
- not needed by the target role lift heavy weights skill
- not needed by the target role maintain material handling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role maintain warehouse database skill
- not needed by the target role manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities skill
- not needed by the target role operate chainsaw skill
- not needed by the target role operate material handling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate voice picking systems skill
- not needed by the target role process customer orders skill
- not needed by the target role process orders from online shop skill
- not needed by the target role store warehouse goods skill
- not needed by the target role types of packaging used in industrial shipments knowledge
- not needed by the target role use packaging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role warehouse operations knowledge
- not needed by the target role warehousing regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role weigh shipments skill
5 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 products coding system required
- still to learn inventory management rules required
- optional, not held hazardous materials transportation optional
- optional, not held road transport legislation optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a warehouse order picker become a materials handler?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A warehouse order picker already covers 32% of what a materials handler is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the materials handler role treats as required.
What skills does a warehouse order picker need to become a materials handler?
14 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is dispatch order processing.
How hard is the move from warehouse order picker to materials handler?
Its learning distance is 70.3 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.