Table 1Transition record

reprographics techniciantoprepress operator

A reprographics technician already meets 42% of what the prepress operator role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

From reprographics technician

42%

Overlap1

To prepress operator

17 Skills carried over

13 Required, not held

64.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 64.7

This move: 64.7 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the prepress operator 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.

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 prepress operator 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 prepress processes arts and humanities
already held reprography arts and humanities
already held manage offset printing process working with machinery and specialised equipment
already held lay out digital written content information skills
already held inspect printing output information skills
already held follow safety precautions in printing assisting and caring

All 17 carried skills, including the 10 the prepress operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 25 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 and communication technologies (icts) 7 required

required, not held Adobe Illustrator required
required, not held Adobe Photoshop required
required, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) required
required, not held Microsoft Visio required
required, not held SketchBook Pro required
required, not held Synfig required
required, not held graphics editor software required

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held interpret illustration needs required
required, not held provide customised products required

optional, not held proofread text optional

03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held arrange printer sheets required

optional, not held maintain lithographic printing plates optional
optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
optional, not held use colour printing programs optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional

04 handling and moving 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held produce prepress proof required

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

05 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held proofing methods required

06 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required

required, not held types of paper required

5 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 17 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held follow a brief skill
already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
already held inspect printing output skill
already held lay out digital written content skill
already held operate printing machinery skill
already held perform image editing skill
already held prepress processes knowledge
already held printing techniques knowledge
already held quality standards knowledge
already held use microsoft office skill
already held communicate with customers skill
already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
already held manage offset printing process skill
already held perform machine maintenance skill
already held printing materials knowledge
already held reprography knowledge
already held troubleshoot skill

The 5 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 information skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held output electronic files optional

10 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary

optional, not held digitization optional

11 working with computers 1 supplementary

optional, not held use markup languages optional

12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held cut page edges optional
optional, not held maintain lithographic printing plates optional
optional, not held manage process of flexographic print optional
optional, not held mix ink optional
optional, not held output electronic files optional
optional, not held screen printing process optional
optional, not held use colour printing programs optional
optional, not held use markup languages optional
optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
optional, not held digitization optional
optional, not held proofread text optional
optional, not held wear appropriate protective gear optional

19 held skills the prepress operator 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 manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
not needed by the target role operate binder machine skill
not needed by the target role operate digital printers skill
not needed by the target role operate scanner skill
not needed by the target role order supplies skill
not needed by the target role produce scanned images skill
not needed by the target role report defective manufacturing materials skill
not needed by the target role reproduce documents skill
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 set colour profiles skill
not needed by the target role supply machine skill
not needed by the target role unbind books skill

11 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 Adobe Illustrator required
required, not held Adobe Photoshop required
required, not held GIMP (graphics editor software) required
required, not held Microsoft Visio required
required, not held SketchBook Pro required
required, not held Synfig required
required, not held graphics editor software required
required, not held proofing methods required
required, not held types of paper required
optional, not held screen printing process optional
optional, not held digitization 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.