Table 1Transition record

biotechnical techniciantobiology technician

A biotechnical technician already meets 41% of what the biology technician role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From biotechnical technician

41%

Overlap1

To biology technician

15 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

65.2 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

41%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

65.2/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the biology technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the biotechnical 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 biology technician role treats 12 of its required skills as things a biotechnical technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

analyse experimental laboratory data
apply scientific methods
biology
collect biological data
cryopreservation
laboratory techniques

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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A biology technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a biotechnical technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held collect reproductive cells handling and moving
already held perform stem cell transplantation assisting and caring
already held genomics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held stem cells natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held cryopreservation natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held collect biological data information skills

All 15 carried skills, including the 12 the biology technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 36 missing skills fall into 12 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, 9 supplementary

required, not held computational biology required
required, not held laboratory equipment required

optional, not held applied zoology optional
optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held ecology optional
optional, not held molecular biology optional
optional, not held oceanography optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional

02 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held use laboratory equipment required
required, not held calibrate laboratory equipment required

optional, not held perform fertility laboratory procedures optional

03 information skills 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held assist in the production of laboratory documentation required

optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
optional, not held perform field research optional
optional, not held keep task records optional
optional, not held monitor the welfare of animals optional

04 handling and moving 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held collect samples for analysis required

optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held preserve samples optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held write technical reports required

optional, not held write research proposals optional

06 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held apply safety procedures in laboratory required

6 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a biology 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 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held analyse experimental laboratory data skill
already held apply scientific methods skill
already held biology knowledge
already held collect biological data skill
already held cryopreservation knowledge
already held laboratory techniques knowledge
already held life sciences knowledge
already held maintain laboratory equipment skill
already held perform laboratory tests skill
already held perform scientific research skill
already held perform stem cell transplantation skill
already held stem cells knowledge
already held collect reproductive cells skill
already held genomics knowledge
already held pollution prevention knowledge

The 6 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 education 1 required

required, not held scientific research methodology required

08 management skills 1 required

required, not held manage inventory required

09 health and welfare 3 supplementary

optional, not held biosecurity optional
optional, not held pathology optional
optional, not held virology optional

10 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional

11 working with computers 2 supplementary

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

12 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional

26 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held analyse blood samples optional
optional, not held analyse cell cultures optional
optional, not held applied zoology optional
optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held label samples optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held perform fertility laboratory procedures optional
optional, not held perform field research optional
optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
optional, not held biosecurity optional
optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held ecology optional
optional, not held environmental legislation 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 molecular biology optional
optional, not held monitor the welfare of animals optional
optional, not held oceanography optional
optional, not held pathology optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held prepare visual data optional
optional, not held preserve samples optional
optional, not held virology optional
optional, not held write research proposals optional

28 held skills the biology technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on crop diseases skill
not needed by the target role advise on pest infestation prevention skill
not needed by the target role analyse scientific data skill
not needed by the target role analyse test data skill
not needed by the target role animal species knowledge
not needed by the target role chemical processes knowledge
not needed by the target role contact scientists skill
not needed by the target role crop production principles knowledge
not needed by the target role develop vaccines skill
not needed by the target role environmental engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role food science knowledge
not needed by the target role gather experimental data skill
not needed by the target role measure pollution skill
not needed by the target role medical devices knowledge
not needed by the target role medical laboratory technology knowledge
not needed by the target role medical studies knowledge
not needed by the target role medicines knowledge
not needed by the target role multidisciplinary research knowledge
not needed by the target role pest control in plants knowledge
not needed by the target role pests and diseases knowledge
not needed by the target role plant species knowledge
not needed by the target role research improvement of crop yields skill
not needed by the target role run laboratory simulations skill
not needed by the target role solid phase microextraction knowledge
not needed by the target role sustainable agricultural production principles knowledge
not needed by the target role undertake research in medical genetics skill
not needed by the target role use technology for forensics skill
not needed by the target role work with chemicals skill

18 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 computational biology required
required, not held laboratory equipment required
required, not held scientific research methodology required
optional, not held applied zoology optional
optional, not held botany optional
optional, not held evolutionary biology optional
optional, not held microbiology-bacteriology optional
optional, not held animal welfare legislation optional
optional, not held biosecurity optional
optional, not held chemistry optional
optional, not held ecology optional
optional, not held environmental legislation optional
optional, not held hazardous waste storage optional
optional, not held molecular biology optional
optional, not held oceanography optional
optional, not held pathology optional
optional, not held pharmacology optional
optional, not held virology optional

Index

Other moves recorded from biotechnical technician

Full index of moves from biotechnical 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.