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

wave soldering machine operatortoautomated optical inspection operator

A wave soldering machine operator already meets 45% of what the automated optical inspection operator role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.

From wave soldering machine operator
45%
Overlap1
To automated optical inspection operator
14 Skills carried over
8 Required, not held
56.1 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

45%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

56.1/ 100

1 Share of the automated optical inspection operator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the wave soldering machine 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.

Why

Why this move works

A automated optical inspection operator role treats 8 of its required skills as things a wave soldering machine operator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • ensure conformity to specifications
  • inspect quality of products
  • interpret circuit diagrams
  • monitor machine operations
  • printed circuit boards
  • read assembly drawings

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 14 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A automated optical inspection operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a wave soldering machine operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held through-hole technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held IPC standards engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held surface-mount technology engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held printed circuit boards information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams information skills
  • already held read assembly drawings information skills

All 14 carried skills, including the 8 the automated optical inspection operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 21 missing skills fall into 10 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 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • required, not held electronic equipment standards required
  • required, not held electronics required
  • optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
  • optional, not held integrated circuits optional
  • optional, not held microelectronics optional
  • optional, not held optical engineering optional
  • optional, not held semiconductors optional
02 working with machinery and specialised equipment 2 required
  • required, not held analyse images required
  • required, not held operate automated optical inspection machine required
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held communicate test results to other departments required
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
  • optional, not held research equipment needs optional
  • optional, not held write inspection reports optional
04 business, administration and law 1 required
  • required, not held quality assurance procedures required
05 health and welfare 1 required
  • required, not held automated optical inspection required
06 management skills 1 required
  • required, not held meet deadlines required

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a automated optical inspection 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 14 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held ensure conformity to specifications skill
  • already held inspect quality of products skill
  • already held interpret circuit diagrams skill
  • already held monitor machine operations skill
  • already held printed circuit boards knowledge
  • already held read assembly drawings skill
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held report defective manufacturing materials skill
  • already held IPC standards knowledge
  • already held keep records of work progress skill
  • already held resolve equipment malfunctions skill
  • already held surface-mount technology knowledge
  • already held through-hole technology knowledge
  • already held write records for repairs skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 handling and moving 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held remove defective products optional
  • optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
08 constructing 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
09 information skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held check system parameters against reference values optional
10 services 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
  • optional, not held check system parameters against reference values optional
  • optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
  • optional, not held integrated circuits optional
  • optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
  • optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
  • optional, not held microelectronics optional
  • optional, not held optical engineering optional
  • optional, not held remove defective products optional
  • optional, not held research equipment needs optional
  • optional, not held semiconductors optional
  • optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
  • optional, not held write inspection reports optional
19 held skills the automated optical inspection operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role apply health and safety standards skill
  • not needed by the target role apply technical communication skills skill
  • not needed by the target role assemble printed circuit boards skill
  • not needed by the target role check for solder defects skill
  • not needed by the target role clean printed circuit board skill
  • not needed by the target role dispose of soldering waste skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain furnace temperature skill
  • not needed by the target role measure furnace temperature 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 prepare board for soldering skill
  • not needed by the target role printed circuit boards testing methods knowledge
  • not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role repair electronic components skill
  • not needed by the target role solder components onto electronic board skill
  • not needed by the target role temperature scales knowledge
  • not needed by the target role test printed circuit boards skill
  • not needed by the target role use CAM software skill
10 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 automated optical inspection required
  • required, not held electronic equipment standards required
  • required, not held electronics required
  • required, not held quality assurance procedures required
  • optional, not held waste removal regulations optional
  • optional, not held instrument performance elements optional
  • optional, not held integrated circuits optional
  • optional, not held microelectronics optional
  • optional, not held optical engineering optional
  • optional, not held semiconductors optional
Index
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.