Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

materials handlertowarehouse order picker

A materials handler already meets 38% of what the warehouse order picker role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.

From materials handler
38%
Overlap1
To warehouse order picker
11 Skills carried over
15 Required, not held
66.1 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

38%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.1/ 100

1 Share of the warehouse order picker role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the materials handler 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 warehouse order picker role treats 10 of its required skills as things a materials handler already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • follow written instructions
  • maintain physical condition of warehouse
  • maintain stock control systems
  • manage warehouse inventory
  • operate warehouse record systems
  • pick orders for dispatching

What stands in the way is 15 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 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A warehouse order picker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a materials handler background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • 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 10 the warehouse order picker role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 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 handling and moving 6 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held check shipments required
  • required, not held operate voice picking systems required
  • required, not held store warehouse goods required
  • required, not held use packaging equipment required
  • required, not held lift heavy weights required
  • required, not held operate chainsaw required
  • optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
  • optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
02 information skills 2 required
  • required, not held process orders from online shop required
  • required, not held weigh shipments required
03 management skills 2 required
  • required, not held ensure efficient utilisation of warehouse space required
  • required, not held process customer orders required
04 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held comply with checklists required
  • optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
05 constructing 1 required
  • required, not held maintain material handling equipment required
06 services 1 required
  • required, not held types of packaging used in industrial shipments required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a warehouse order picker 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 11 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held follow written instructions skill
  • 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 safety regulations for warehouses knowledge
  • already held secure goods skill
  • already held stack goods skill
  • already held use warehouse marking tools skill
  • already held assemble goods skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 working with computers 1 required
  • required, not held maintain warehouse database required
08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required
  • required, not held operate material handling equipment required
09 business, administration and law 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held warehouse operations optional
  • optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
5 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held identify damaged goods before shipment optional
  • optional, not held manage transport of goods from warehouse facilities optional
  • optional, not held warehouse operations optional
  • optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
  • optional, not held deliver outstanding service optional
29 held skills the warehouse order picker role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role check compatibility of materials skill
  • not needed by the target role clean warehouse skill
  • not needed by the target role dispatch order processing skill
  • not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
  • not needed by the target role dispose of non-hazardous waste skill
  • not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
  • not needed by the target role follow stock control instructions skill
  • not needed by the target role freight transport methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role handle fragile items skill
  • not needed by the target role hazardous materials transportation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role implement efficiency plans for logistics operations skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role inventory management rules knowledge
  • not needed by the target role load heavy items on pallets skill
  • not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
  • not needed by the target role operate warehouse materials skill
  • not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role pack goods skill
  • not needed by the target role pallets loading skill
  • not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role products coding system knowledge
  • not needed by the target role road transport legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role shunt inbound loads skill
  • not needed by the target role sort waste skill
  • not needed by the target role transport construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role use barcode scanning equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
3 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 types of packaging used in industrial shipments required
  • optional, not held warehouse operations optional
  • optional, not held warehousing regulations optional
Index
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.