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

excavator operatortotunnel boring machine operator

A excavator operator already meets 54% of what the tunnel boring machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From excavator operator
54%
Overlap1
To tunnel boring machine operator
15 Skills carried over
7 Required, not held
50.5 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

54%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

50.5/ 100

1 Share of the tunnel boring machine operator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the excavator 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 tunnel boring machine operator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a excavator operator already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • mechanical systems
  • prevent damage to utility infrastructure
  • react to events in time-critical environments
  • transport construction supplies
  • use safety equipment in construction

What stands in the way is 7 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tunnel boring machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a excavator operator background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held machinery load capacity engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held operate excavator working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition constructing
  • already held prevent damage to utility infrastructure management skills
  • already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held mechanical systems engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 15 carried skills, including the 7 the tunnel boring machine operator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 11 missing skills fall into 4 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 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held drive tunnel boring machine required
  • required, not held operate theodolite required
  • required, not held switch tunnel boring machine modes required
  • required, not held tend boring machine required
  • optional, not held determine tunnel boring machine speed optional
  • optional, not held monitor tunnel boring machine supplies optional
  • optional, not held coordinate drilling optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 2 required
  • required, not held tunnel boring machine console required
  • required, not held mechanics required
03 constructing 1 required
  • required, not held install tunnel segments required
04 information skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held monitor excavated material optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a tunnel boring machine 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 15 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
  • already held mechanical systems knowledge
  • already held prevent damage to utility infrastructure skill
  • already held react to events in time-critical environments skill
  • already held transport construction supplies skill
  • already held use safety equipment in construction skill
  • already held work ergonomically skill
  • already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment skill
  • already held electricity knowledge
  • already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition skill
  • already held keep personal administration skill
  • already held machinery load capacity knowledge
  • already held operate excavator skill
  • already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
  • already held work in a construction team skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held determine tunnel boring machine speed optional
  • optional, not held monitor excavated material optional
  • optional, not held monitor tunnel boring machine supplies optional
  • optional, not held coordinate drilling optional
23 held skills the tunnel boring machine operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role dig sewer trenches skill
  • not needed by the target role dig soil mechanically skill
  • not needed by the target role excavation techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction sites skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret 2D plans skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret 3D plans skill
  • not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
  • not needed by the target role level earth surface skill
  • not needed by the target role mechanical tools knowledge
  • not needed by the target role monitor stock level skill
  • not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
  • not needed by the target role operate bulldozer skill
  • not needed by the target role operate construction scraper skill
  • not needed by the target role operate grader skill
  • not needed by the target role operate heavy construction machinery without supervision skill
  • not needed by the target role operate road roller skill
  • not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role recognise the hazards of dangerous goods skill
  • not needed by the target role secure heavy construction equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role sort waste skill
  • not needed by the target role supply machine with appropriate tools skill
  • not needed by the target role test soil load bearing capacity skill
2 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 tunnel boring machine console required
  • required, not held mechanics required
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.