Table 1Transition record

scanning operatortoprepress technician

A scanning operator already meets 25% of what the prepress technician role asks for. The move turns on 22 required skills not yet in the profile.

From scanning operator

25%

Overlap1

To prepress technician

15 Skills carried over

22 Required, not held

80.6 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 80.6

This move: 80.6 of 100 · career change

1 Share of the prepress technician role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the scanning operator 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A prepress technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a scanning operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held create digital files working with computers
already held handle scanning material safely assisting and caring
already held set scanner controls working with computers
already held reprography arts and humanities
already held process printing input information skills
already held lay out digital written content information skills

All 15 carried skills, including the 7 the prepress technician role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 42 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 7 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held operate laser plate maker machine required
required, not held operate printing machinery required
required, not held prepare films for printing plates required
required, not held prepare printing form required
required, not held scale copies required
required, not held scan negatives required
required, not held set colour profiles required

optional, not held ink printing plates optional
optional, not held maintain lithographic printing plates optional
optional, not held use colour printing programs optional
optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
optional, not held prepare offset printing machine optional

02 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

03 arts and humanities 3 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held printing plate making required
required, not held prepress processes required
required, not held typography required

optional, not held offset printing optional
optional, not held printing materials optional
optional, not held graphic design optional
optional, not held printing media optional

04 working with computers 1 required, 4 supplementary

required, not held develop digital content required

optional, not held edit photographs optional
optional, not held scan photos optional
optional, not held use typesetting software optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional

05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held align content with form required

optional, not held apply opaque optional
optional, not held interpret illustration needs optional
optional, not held communicate with customers optional

06 business, administration and law 1 required, 2 supplementary

required, not held proofing methods required

optional, not held printed goods processes optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

3 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a prepress 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 15 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held follow safety precautions in printing skill
already held lay out digital written content skill
already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
already held printing on large scale machines knowledge
already held reprography knowledge
already held set scanner controls skill
already held troubleshoot skill
already held create digital files skill
already held digitise documents skill
already held handle scanning material safely skill
already held manage digital documents skill
already held meet deadlines skill
already held printing techniques knowledge
already held process printing input skill
already held use word processing software skill

The 3 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held produce prepress proof required

optional, not held store negatives optional

08 information skills 1 required

required, not held output electronic files required

09 management skills 1 supplementary

optional, not held prevent paper jams optional

20 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held apply opaque optional
optional, not held edit photographs optional
optional, not held ink printing plates optional
optional, not held interpret illustration needs optional
optional, not held maintain lithographic printing plates optional
optional, not held offset printing optional
optional, not held prevent paper jams optional
optional, not held printing materials optional
optional, not held scan photos optional
optional, not held store negatives optional
optional, not held use colour printing programs optional
optional, not held use typesetting software optional
optional, not held communicate with customers optional
optional, not held graphic design optional
optional, not held manage offset printing process optional
optional, not held prepare offset printing machine optional
optional, not held printed goods processes optional
optional, not held printing media optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held use presentation software optional

21 held skills the prepress technician role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role calibrate electronic instruments skill
not needed by the target role check for flaws in scanned material skill
not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role create digital images skill
not needed by the target role cut page edges skill
not needed by the target role digital printing knowledge
not needed by the target role digitization knowledge
not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
not needed by the target role imaging techniques knowledge
not needed by the target role inspect printing output skill
not needed by the target role maintain system logs skill
not needed by the target role numerical sequences knowledge
not needed by the target role operate scanner skill
not needed by the target role perforate printed media skill
not needed by the target role perform image editing skill
not needed by the target role prepare documents for scanning skill
not needed by the target role produce scanned images skill
not needed by the target role types of paper knowledge
not needed by the target role use microsoft office skill
not needed by the target role use spreadsheets software skill
not needed by the target role write calibration report skill

17 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 printing plate making required
required, not held proofing methods required
required, not held prepress processes required
required, not held typography required
optional, not held offset printing optional
optional, not held printing materials optional
optional, not held graphic design optional
optional, not held printed goods processes optional
optional, not held printing media optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

Index

Other moves recorded from scanning operator

Full index of moves from scanning operator

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.