Table 1Transition record

reprographics techniciantodigital printer

A reprographics technician already meets 45% of what the digital printer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

From reprographics technician

45%

Overlap1

To digital printer

18 Skills carried over

10 Required, not held

58.4 Difficulty2

Career overlap Partial match

45%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

58.4/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the digital printer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the reprographics 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 digital printer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a reprographics technician already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

follow safety precautions in printing
maintenance of printing machines
operate digital printers
printing materials
quality standards
set colour profiles

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

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held operate digital printers working with computers
already held produce scanned images communication, collaboration and creativity
already held set colour profiles working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held reproduce documents working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held inspect printing output information skills
already held follow safety precautions in printing assisting and caring

All 18 carried skills, including the 8 the digital printer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 21 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 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held use colour printing programs required
required, not held monitor automated machines required

optional, not held prepare documents for scanning optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional

02 arts and humanities 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held digital printing required
required, not held printing on large scale machines required

optional, not held printing media optional

03 handling and moving 2 required

required, not held feed press cylinders required
required, not held produce prepress proof required

04 working with computers 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held set up the controller of a machine required

optional, not held create digital files optional
optional, not held set scanner controls optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

05 constructing 1 required

required, not held perform test run required

06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

required, not held types of paper required

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a digital printer 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 18 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
already held operate digital printers skill
already held printing materials knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held set colour profiles skill
already held supply machine skill
already held troubleshoot skill
already held communicate with customers skill
already held follow a brief skill
already held inspect printing output skill
already held monitor stock level skill
already held order supplies skill
already held perform machine maintenance skill
already held printing techniques knowledge
already held produce scanned images skill
already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
already held reproduce documents skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 management skills 1 required

required, not held follow production schedule required

08 information skills 4 supplementary

optional, not held process printing input optional
optional, not held consult technical resources optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held record production data for quality control optional

09 business, administration and law 1 supplementary

optional, not held printed goods processes optional

11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held create digital files optional
optional, not held prepare documents for scanning optional
optional, not held process printing input optional
optional, not held set scanner controls optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
optional, not held consult technical resources optional
optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
optional, not held printed goods processes optional
optional, not held printing media optional
optional, not held record production data for quality control optional
optional, not held use word processing software optional

18 held skills the digital printer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role binding technologies knowledge
not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role digitise documents skill
not needed by the target role handle scanning material safely skill
not needed by the target role lay out digital written content skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage offset printing process skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role operate binder machine skill
not needed by the target role operate printing machinery skill
not needed by the target role operate scanner skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role prepress processes knowledge
not needed by the target role reprography knowledge
not needed by the target role respect data protection principles skill
not needed by the target role scan photos skill
not needed by the target role unbind books skill
not needed by the target role use microsoft office 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.

Skill to acquire Tier

required, not held digital printing required
required, not held printing on large scale machines required
required, not held types of paper required
optional, not held printed goods processes optional
optional, not held printing media optional

Index

Other moves recorded from reprographics technician

Full index of moves from reprographics 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.