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

rail layertotunnel boring machine operator

A rail layer already meets 50% of what the tunnel boring machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.

From rail layer
50%
Overlap1
To tunnel boring machine operator
13 Skills carried over
7 Required, not held
53.6 Difficulty2
Career overlap Partial match

50%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

53.6/ 100

1 Share of the tunnel boring machine operator role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the rail layer 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 rail layer already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • follow health and safety procedures in construction
  • mechanical systems
  • mechanics
  • 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 13 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 rail layer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held machinery load capacity engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition constructing
  • already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held mechanical systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure constructing
  • already held react to events in time-critical environments communication, collaboration and creativity

All 13 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 13 missing skills fall into 5 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, 4 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
  • optional, not held operate excavator optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held tunnel boring machine console required
  • optional, not held electricity optional
03 constructing 1 required
  • required, not held install tunnel segments required
04 management skills 1 required
  • required, not held prevent damage to utility infrastructure required
05 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 13 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
  • already held mechanical systems knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • 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 keep heavy construction equipment in good condition skill
  • already held keep personal administration skill
  • already held machinery load capacity knowledge
  • already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
  • already held work in a construction team skill
6 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
  • optional, not held operate excavator optional
  • optional, not held electricity optional
29 held skills the tunnel boring machine operator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role apply spot welding techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role apply thermite welding techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
  • not needed by the target role ensure rail tracks remain clear skill
  • not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect railways visually skill
  • not needed by the target role install railway detectors skill
  • not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain rail infrastructure skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor ballast regulator skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor rail laying machine skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor rail pickup machine skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor tamping car skill
  • not needed by the target role operate grappler skill
  • not needed by the target role operate rail grinder skill
  • not needed by the target role operate sleeper clipping unit skill
  • not needed by the target role pave asphalt layers skill
  • not needed by the target role perform drainage work skill
  • not needed by the target role pour concrete skill
  • not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
  • not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
  • not needed by the target role rig loads skill
  • not needed by the target role screed concrete skill
  • not needed by the target role secure working area skill
  • not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role work trains knowledge
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
  • optional, not held electricity optional
Index

Other moves recorded from rail layer

Full index of moves from rail layer

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.