Supervisors for Other Mechanical and Metal Products Manufacturing are equipped with a wellbalanced skill set, allowing them to perform quality control, strategic planning and administrative tasks.

They are knowledgeable of the processes, procedures, policies and practices of manufacturing environments, possessing the necessary skills and abilities to serve as effective mentors to convey and enforce these to workers. Even with a niche set of tasks, the skills, abilities and technical knowledge they possess can be used in supervision outside of traditional manufacturing.

Skills

Skills are developed through training and experience, and are the practical proficiencies someone possesses. The following are top key skills mechanical and metal product supervisors employ in their work:

1. Time Management
2. Management of Personnel Resources
3. Coordination
4. Social Perceptiveness
5. Monitoring

Technical Knowledge

Technical Knowledge is the understanding of theory and utility of modern tools in a work environment. The following tools are used by mechanical and metal product supervisors regularly:

1. Human resources software
2. Enterprise resource planning software
3. Industrial control software
4. Computer-aided design and manufacturing software
5. Time accounting software

Tasks

Tasks are the assigned duties that an occupational group performs in their daily work. The following are the tasks mechanical and metal product supervisors most regularly encounter:

1. Instruct workers to use equipment or perform technical procedures.
2. Study blueprints or other instructions to determine equipment setup requirements.
3. Enforce rules or regulations.
4. Direct operational or production activities.
5. Record operational or production data.

Abilities

Abilities refer to the innate faculties that allow workers to carry out tasks and activities. The following are the top abilities that mechanical and metal product supervisors possess:

1. Problem Sensitivity
2. Oral and Written Comprehension and Expression
3. Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
4. Information Ordering
5. Category Flexibility

Skills Transferability Matrix

FOCAL’s Skills Transferability Matrices analyze the transferability of an occupation across a multitude of other occupations on the basis of similarities in skills, technical knowledge, tasks, and abilities as outlined by the O*Net database. It aims to show workers how to leverage their skill set in changing occupations, planning a career path, and transitioning to other industries. It also assists policy makers and educators address changing skill sets and areas of opportunity for workforce entrants in developing industries. Employers can also use this tool in reskilling or upskilling workers to circumvent skills shortages, and reduce the hiring and training challenges.

After scanning over 2,600 skills, technical competencies, tasks, and abilities of each of the 500 occupations as defined by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, a skills transferability matrix for supervisors, other mechanical and metal products manufacturing is produced. In the matrix above, a high score is highlighted in green and indicates the high potential transferability of an attribute of an occupation with that of mechanical and metal product supervisors. Lower or no transferability areas are marked in red. Mechanical and metal supervisors possess very high transferability to supervisor positions in motor vehicle assembly, other product assembly and manufacturing, as well as supervision of skilled trade workers within metal forming and machining trades. Outside of manufacturing, moderate transferability is observed to other service, construction, skilled trade and logistical supervision roles. Transferability is also observed in an upward direction, with moderate potential for transferability into construction and manufacturing management, and high potential for transferability to utility management.

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