Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

water quality analysttowastewater treatment operator

A water quality analyst already meets 43% of what the wastewater treatment operator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

From water quality analyst
43%
Overlap1
To wastewater treatment operator
13 Skills carried over
8 Required, not held
57.4 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

43%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

57.4/ 100

1 Share of the wastewater treatment operator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the water quality analyst 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 wastewater treatment operator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a water quality analyst already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • collect samples
  • interpret scientific data to assess water quality
  • measure water quality parameters
  • monitor water quality
  • perform water chemistry analysis
  • use water disinfection equipment

What stands in the way is 8 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A wastewater treatment operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a water quality analyst background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held perform water chemistry analysis information skills
  • already held water chemistry analysis natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
  • already held interpret scientific data to assess water quality information skills
  • already held water reuse engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held use water disinfection equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held measure water quality parameters information skills

All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the wastewater treatment operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 20 missing skills fall into 7 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 3 required, 6 supplementary
  • required, not held perform water treatment procedures required
  • required, not held carry out waste water treatment required
  • required, not held operate water purifying equipment required
  • optional, not held maintain desalination control system optional
  • optional, not held maintain specified water characteristics optional
  • optional, not held manage desalination control system optional
  • optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
  • optional, not held operate pumping equipment optional
  • optional, not held operate sewage treatment plans on ships optional
02 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held perform water treatments required
  • required, not held document analysis results required
  • optional, not held ensure proper water storage optional
  • optional, not held perform sample testing optional
03 constructing 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held maintain water treatment equipment required
  • optional, not held maintain water distribution equipment optional
04 handling and moving 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held dispose of sewage sludge required
  • optional, not held prepare samples for testing optional
05 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • required, not held percolation required
06 assisting and caring 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a wastewater treatment 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 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held collect samples skill
  • already held interpret scientific data to assess water quality skill
  • already held measure water quality parameters skill
  • already held monitor water quality skill
  • already held perform water chemistry analysis skill
  • already held use water disinfection equipment skill
  • already held water chemistry analysis knowledge
  • already held ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
  • already held laboratory techniques knowledge
  • already held test samples for pollutants skill
  • already held use personal protection equipment skill
  • already held water policies knowledge
  • already held water reuse knowledge
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held ensure proper water storage optional
  • optional, not held maintain desalination control system optional
  • optional, not held maintain specified water characteristics optional
  • optional, not held maintain water distribution equipment optional
  • optional, not held manage desalination control system optional
  • optional, not held operate hydraulic machinery controls optional
  • optional, not held operate pumping equipment optional
  • optional, not held operate sewage treatment plans on ships optional
  • optional, not held apply health and safety standards optional
  • optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
  • optional, not held perform sample testing optional
  • optional, not held prepare samples for testing optional
31 held skills the wastewater treatment operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role advise on chemical use reduction skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on environmental remediation skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on pollution prevention skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on soil and water protection skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse environmental data skill
  • not needed by the target role analyse experimental laboratory data skill
  • not needed by the target role botany knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calibrate laboratory equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role chemical processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role collect samples for analysis skill
  • not needed by the target role develop environmental remediation strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role develop scientific research protocols skill
  • not needed by the target role develop water purification methods skill
  • not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role fish identification and classification knowledge
  • not needed by the target role inspect water wells skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain test equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role manage chemical testing procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role manage water quality testing skill
  • not needed by the target role microbiology-bacteriology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform laboratory tests skill
  • not needed by the target role perform water testing procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role pollution prevention knowledge
  • not needed by the target role prepare chemical samples skill
  • not needed by the target role promote environmental awareness skill
  • not needed by the target role record test data skill
  • not needed by the target role report on environmental issues skill
  • not needed by the target role report pollution incidents skill
  • not needed by the target role report test findings skill
  • not needed by the target role supervise laboratory operations skill
  • not needed by the target role test chemical samples skill
1 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 percolation required
Index

Other moves recorded from water quality analyst

Full index of moves from water quality analyst

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.