Table 1Transition record

printed circuit board assemblertoprinted circuit board test technician

A printed circuit board assembler already meets 37% of what the printed circuit board test technician role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.

From printed circuit board assembler

37%

Overlap1

To printed circuit board test technician

17 Skills carried over

16 Required, not held

68 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

37%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

68/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the printed circuit board test technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the printed circuit board assembler 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 printed circuit board test technician role treats 10 of its required skills as things a printed circuit board assembler already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

check for solder defects
electronics
ensure conformity to specifications
integrated circuits
interpret circuit diagrams
meet deadlines

What stands in the way is 16 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 17 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 printed circuit board assembler background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held through-hole technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held printed circuit boards testing methods information and communication technologies (icts)
already held test printed circuit boards constructing
already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held check for solder defects constructing
already held surface-mount technology engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 17 carried skills, including the 10 the printed circuit board test technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 31 missing skills fall into 11 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 information skills 5 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held ensure material compliance required
required, not held inspect quality of products required
required, not held measure electrical characteristics required
required, not held read standard blueprints required
required, not held report defective manufacturing materials required

optional, not held write records for repairs optional
optional, not held monitor machine operations optional

02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required

required, not held in-circuit test required
required, not held electronic equipment standards required
required, not held instrument performance elements required

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held communicate test results to other departments required
required, not held troubleshoot required

optional, not held apply technical communication skills optional
optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
optional, not held research equipment needs optional
optional, not held write inspection reports optional

04 constructing 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held perform in-circuit test required
required, not held perform test run required

optional, not held apply soldering techniques optional
optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
optional, not held test hardware optional

05 assisting and caring 2 required

required, not held abide by regulations on banned materials required
required, not held process customer requests based on the REACh Regulation 1907 2006 required

06 business, administration and law 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held quality assurance procedures required

optional, not held quality standards optional

5 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 17 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held check for solder defects skill
already held electronics knowledge
already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
already held integrated circuits knowledge
already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
already held meet deadlines skill
already held printed circuit boards knowledge
already held printed circuit boards testing methods knowledge
already held read assembly drawings skill
already held test printed circuit boards skill
already held IPC standards knowledge
already held keep records of work progress skill
already held microelectronics knowledge
already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
already held semiconductors knowledge
already held surface-mount technology knowledge
already held through-hole technology knowledge

The 5 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line required

optional, not held remove defective products optional

08 health and welfare 1 supplementary

optional, not held automated optical inspection optional

09 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held hardware testing methods optional

10 services 1 supplementary

optional, not held waste removal regulations optional

11 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held operate automated optical inspection machine optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held automated optical inspection optional
optional, not held operate automated optical inspection machine 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 apply technical communication skills 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 monitor machine operations optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held remove defective products optional
optional, not held research equipment needs optional
optional, not held test hardware optional
optional, not held write inspection reports optional

31 held skills the printed circuit board test technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role 3D printing process knowledge
not needed by the target role apply through-hole technology manually skill
not needed by the target role assemble printed circuit boards skill
not needed by the target role clean components during assembly 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 determine suitability of materials skill
not needed by the target role dispose of hazardous waste skill
not needed by the target role electrochemistry knowledge
not needed by the target role electroplating knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
not needed by the target role maintain microelectronics skill
not needed by the target role maintenance of printing machines knowledge
not needed by the target role maintenance operations knowledge
not needed by the target role microprocessors knowledge
not needed by the target role operate 3D computer graphics software skill
not needed by the target role operate SMT placement equipment skill
not needed by the target role operate insertion mount machine skill
not needed by the target role operate precision machinery skill
not needed by the target role operate printing machinery 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 pack electronic equipment skill
not needed by the target role prepare board for soldering skill
not needed by the target role printing materials knowledge
not needed by the target role printing on large scale machines knowledge
not needed by the target role printing techniques knowledge
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 test microelectronics skill
not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill

8 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 in-circuit test required
required, not held electronic equipment standards required
required, not held instrument performance elements required
required, not held quality assurance procedures required
optional, not held automated optical inspection optional
optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
optional, not held hardware testing methods optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

Index

Other moves recorded from printed circuit board assembler

Full index of moves from printed circuit board assembler

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.