Table 1Transition record

prepress techniciantoprepress operator

A prepress technician already meets 65% of what the prepress operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From prepress technician

65%

Overlap1

To prepress operator

25 Skills carried over

7 Required, not held

42 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 42

This move: 42 of 100 · moderate

1 Share of the prepress operator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the prepress 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.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 25 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prepress operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a prepress technician background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held output electronic files information skills
already held proofing methods business, administration and law
already held prepress processes arts and humanities
already held maintain lithographic printing plates working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held interpret illustration needs communication, collaboration and creativity
already held reprography arts and humanities

All 25 carried skills, including the 16 the prepress operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 17 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held follow a brief required
required, not held provide customised products required

optional, not held proofread text optional

02 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held perform image editing required
required, not held use microsoft office required

optional, not held use markup languages optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held arrange printer sheets required

optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional

04 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

required, not held types of paper required

05 information skills 1 required

required, not held inspect printing output required

06 handling and moving 2 supplementary

optional, not held cut page edges optional
optional, not held mix ink optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a prepress 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 25 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held Adobe Illustrator knowledge
already held Adobe Photoshop knowledge
already held GIMP (graphics editor software) knowledge
already held Microsoft Visio knowledge
already held SketchBook Pro knowledge
already held Synfig knowledge
already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
already held graphics editor software knowledge
already held interpret illustration needs skill
already held lay out digital written content skill
already held operate printing machinery skill
already held prepress processes knowledge
already held printing techniques knowledge
already held produce prepress proof skill
already held proofing methods knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held communicate with customers skill
already held maintain lithographic printing plates skill
already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
already held manage offset printing process skill
already held output electronic files skill
already held printing materials knowledge
already held reprography knowledge
already held troubleshoot skill
already held use colour printing programs skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 arts and humanities 1 supplementary

optional, not held screen printing process optional

08 assisting and caring 1 supplementary

optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

09 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held digitization optional

10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held cut page edges optional
optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
optional, not held mix ink optional
optional, not held screen printing process optional
optional, not held use markup languages optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
optional, not held digitization optional
optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
optional, not held proofread text optional
optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

32 held skills the prepress operator role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role align content with form skill
not needed by the target role apply opaque skill
not needed by the target role create digital files skill
not needed by the target role develop digital content skill
not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
not needed by the target role edit photographs skill
not needed by the target role graphic design knowledge
not needed by the target role handle scanning material safely skill
not needed by the target role ink printing plates skill
not needed by the target role manage digital documents skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role offset printing knowledge
not needed by the target role operate laser plate maker machine skill
not needed by the target role prepare films for printing plates skill
not needed by the target role prepare offset printing machine skill
not needed by the target role prepare printing form skill
not needed by the target role prevent paper jams skill
not needed by the target role printed goods processes knowledge
not needed by the target role printing media knowledge
not needed by the target role printing on large scale machines knowledge
not needed by the target role printing plate making knowledge
not needed by the target role process printing input skill
not needed by the target role scale copies skill
not needed by the target role scan negatives skill
not needed by the target role scan photos skill
not needed by the target role set colour profiles skill
not needed by the target role set scanner controls skill
not needed by the target role store negatives skill
not needed by the target role typography knowledge
not needed by the target role use presentation software skill
not needed by the target role use typesetting software skill
not needed by the target role use word processing software 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 paper required
optional, not held screen printing process optional
optional, not held digitization optional

Index

Other moves recorded from prepress technician

Full index of moves from prepress 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.