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

shuntertotrain driver

A shunter already meets 25% of what the train driver role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.

From shunter
25%
Overlap1
To train driver
8 Skills carried over
17 Required, not held
76.7 Difficulty2
Career overlap Distant match

25%

Learning distance A rebuild

76.7/ 100

1 Share of the train driver 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 train driver role treats 7 of its required skills as things a shunter already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • check train engines
  • control train movement
  • physical characteristics of railways
  • shunt inbound loads
  • shunt outbound loads
  • shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards

What stands in the way is 17 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A train driver 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 control train movement working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held train operating procedures services
  • already held check train engines information skills
  • already held shunt outbound loads working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held physical characteristics of railways natural sciences, mathematics and statistics

All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the train driver role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 10 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 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 5 supplementary
  • required, not held follow signalling instructions required
  • required, not held teach train driving principles required
  • required, not held communicate with customers required
  • required, not held stay alert required
  • optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
  • optional, not held work in a rail transport team optional
  • optional, not held act reliably optional
  • optional, not held listen actively optional
  • optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
02 information skills 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • required, not held ensure trains run to schedule required
  • required, not held monitor train schedules required
  • required, not held prepare freight shipment reports required
  • optional, not held analyse reports provided by passengers optional
  • optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
  • optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
03 assisting and caring 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held act with a high level of safety awareness required
  • required, not held focus on passengers required
  • optional, not held react calmly in stressful situations optional
04 handling and moving 2 required
  • required, not held adjust weight of cargo to capacity of freight transport vehicles required
  • required, not held mark differences in colours required
05 management skills 2 required
  • required, not held handle stressful situations in the work place required
  • required, not held tolerate sitting for long periods required
06 services 1 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held passenger transport regulations required
  • optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
  • optional, not held freight transport methods optional

4 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a train driver 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 8 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held check train engines skill
  • already held control train movement skill
  • already held physical characteristics of railways knowledge
  • already held shunt inbound loads skill
  • already held shunt outbound loads skill
  • already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards skill
  • already held train operating procedures knowledge
  • already held mechanics of trains knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required
  • required, not held locomotive brake applications required
08 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • required, not held track geometry required
09 working with machinery and specialised equipment 1 required
  • required, not held ensure maintenance of trains required
10 working with computers 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held have computer literacy optional
  • optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held analyse reports provided by passengers optional
  • optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
  • optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
  • optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
  • optional, not held work in a rail transport team optional
  • optional, not held act reliably optional
  • optional, not held freight transport methods optional
  • optional, not held have computer literacy optional
  • optional, not held listen actively optional
  • optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
  • optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
  • optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
  • optional, not held react calmly in stressful situations optional
31 held skills the train driver 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 compare shipment contents with waybill skill
  • not needed by the target role comply with railway safety standards 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 enforce railway safety regulations skill
  • not needed by the target role follow switching instructions in rail operations skill
  • 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 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 switches 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 operate switching locomotives 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 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 use hand signal for transport procedures skill
5 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 locomotive brake applications required
  • required, not held passenger transport regulations required
  • required, not held track geometry required
  • optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
  • optional, not held freight transport methods 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.