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

shuntertorail switchperson

A shunter already meets 36% of what the rail switchperson role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

From shunter
36%
Overlap1
To rail switchperson
7 Skills carried over
12 Required, not held
63.5 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

36%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

63.5/ 100

1 Share of the rail switchperson role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the shunter 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 rail switchperson role treats 7 of its required skills as things a shunter already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • enforce railway safety regulations
  • follow switching instructions in rail operations
  • operate railway switches
  • operate switching locomotives
  • shunt inbound loads
  • shunt outbound loads

What stands in the way is 12 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A rail switchperson role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a shunter background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held follow switching instructions in rail operations communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held operate switching locomotives working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held operate railway switches working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held shunt outbound loads working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held enforce railway safety regulations assisting and caring

All 7 carried skills, including the 7 the rail switchperson role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 14 missing skills fall into 7 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
  • required, not held use handbrake required
  • required, not held apply signalling control procedures required
  • required, not held operate railway lever frames required
  • required, not held use waterway traffic control systems required
02 management skills 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held manage rail yard resources required
  • required, not held handle stressful situations in the work place required
  • optional, not held follow strict level crossing operating procedures optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required
  • required, not held cooperate with colleagues required
  • required, not held execute working instructions required
04 services 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held signal box parts required
  • optional, not held level crossing regulations optional
05 assisting and caring 1 required
  • required, not held ensure compliance with railway regulation required
06 constructing 1 required
  • required, not held use rigging tools required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a rail switchperson 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 7 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held enforce railway safety regulations skill
  • already held follow switching instructions in rail operations skill
  • already held operate railway switches skill
  • already held operate switching locomotives skill
  • already held shunt inbound loads skill
  • already held shunt outbound loads skill
  • already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 information skills 1 required
  • required, not held keep task records required
2 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held follow strict level crossing operating procedures optional
  • optional, not held level crossing regulations optional
32 held skills the rail switchperson role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role assess railway operations skill
  • not needed by the target role assist in the movement of heavy loads skill
  • not needed by the target role check train engines skill
  • not needed by the target role compare shipment contents with waybill skill
  • not needed by the target role comply with railway safety standards skill
  • not needed by the target role control train movement skill
  • not needed by the target role dangers of marshalling activity knowledge
  • not needed by the target role deal with challenging work conditions skill
  • not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electrical wiring plans knowledge
  • not needed by the target role keep written records of cargo skill
  • not needed by the target role load animals for transportation skill
  • not needed by the target role mechanics of trains knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate radio equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role operate railway communication systems skill
  • not needed by the target role operate railway control panels skill
  • not needed by the target role operate railway vehicles skill
  • not needed by the target role operate railway warning systems skill
  • not needed by the target role oversee operational safety on trains skill
  • not needed by the target role perform maintenance on locomotives skill
  • not needed by the target role perform rail track inspections skill
  • not needed by the target role perform routine maintenance on railway engines skill
  • not needed by the target role perform wagon coupling skill
  • not needed by the target role physical characteristics of railways knowledge
  • not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
  • not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
  • not needed by the target role railway framework legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role read railway circuit plans skill
  • not needed by the target role test the braking force of trains skill
  • not needed by the target role train operating procedures knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use hand signal for transport procedures 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 signal box parts required
  • optional, not held level crossing regulations optional
Index

Other moves recorded from shunter

Full index of moves from shunter

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.