Table 1Transition record

rail operations managertorailway infrastructure inspector

A rail operations manager already meets 33% of what the railway infrastructure inspector role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From rail operations manager

33%

Overlap1

To railway infrastructure inspector

11 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

65.7 Difficulty2

adjacent 0–30

moderate 30–55

substantial 55–75

career change 75–100

this move, 65.7

This move: 65.7 of 100 · substantial

1 Share of the railway infrastructure inspector role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the rail operations manager 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.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A railway infrastructure inspector role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a rail operations manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held assess performance of rail operations information skills
already held perform rail operations risk management information skills
already held ensure implementation of subsidence mitigation measures assisting and caring
already held operate railway freight monitoring technologies information skills
already held physical characteristics of railways natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
already held design wayside signalling interlockings management skills

All 11 carried skills, including the 5 the railway infrastructure inspector role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 24 missing skills fall into 8 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 information skills 6 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held assess railway operations required
required, not held perform inspection analysis required
required, not held conduct environmental surveys required
required, not held identify hazards in the workplace required
required, not held monitor work site required
required, not held undertake inspections required

optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
optional, not held detect flaws in rails optional
optional, not held write rail defect records optional

02 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held write inspection reports required

optional, not held provide railway technical advice optional
optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
optional, not held liaise with rail experts optional
optional, not held provide advice on breaches of regulation optional

03 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary

required, not held ensure safe operation of railway during repairs required

optional, not held ensure public safety and security optional

04 business, administration and law 1 required

required, not held quality assurance procedures required

05 constructing 2 supplementary

optional, not held detect rail track malfunctions optional
optional, not held perform rail track inspections optional

06 management skills 2 supplementary

optional, not held identify preventive actions optional
optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a railway infrastructure inspector 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 11 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held comply with legal regulations skill
already held design wayside signalling interlockings skill
already held enforce railway safety regulations skill
already held health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
already held operate railway freight monitoring technologies skill
already held assess performance of rail operations skill
already held ensure implementation of subsidence mitigation measures skill
already held perform rail operations risk management skill
already held physical characteristics of railways knowledge
already held rail infrastructure knowledge
already held shunt inbound loads skill

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held rail construction engineering optional

08 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 supplementary

optional, not held operate rail-flaw-detection machine optional

15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held analyse environmental data optional
optional, not held detect flaws in rails optional
optional, not held detect rail track malfunctions optional
optional, not held ensure public safety and security optional
optional, not held identify preventive actions optional
optional, not held operate rail-flaw-detection machine optional
optional, not held perform rail track inspections optional
optional, not held provide railway technical advice optional
optional, not held rail construction engineering optional
optional, not held write rail defect records optional
optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
optional, not held liaise with rail experts optional
optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
optional, not held provide advice on breaches of regulation optional

15 held skills the railway infrastructure inspector role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role develop staff skill
not needed by the target role ensure client orientation skill
not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
not needed by the target role maintain computerised records of railway traffic skill
not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
not needed by the target role manage staff skill
not needed by the target role modern power signalling systems knowledge
not needed by the target role plan railway incident mitigation measures skill
not needed by the target role process data from railway control rooms skill
not needed by the target role project management knowledge
not needed by the target role rail disruption management knowledge
not needed by the target role rail project financing knowledge
not needed by the target role railway framework legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role train planning knowledge
not needed by the target role work in a rail transport team 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 quality assurance procedures required
optional, not held rail construction engineering optional

Index

Other moves recorded from rail operations manager

Full index of moves from rail operations manager

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.