Air traffic safety technician to air traffic controller
An air traffic safety technician already meets 33% of what the air traffic controller role asks for. The move turns on 21 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.7/ 100
1 How much of what an air traffic controller is expected to do is already part of an air traffic safety technician’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the air traffic controller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An air traffic controller role treats 11 of its required skills as things an air traffic safety technician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- air traffic control operations
- air transport law
- aircraft flight control systems
- assist in the conducting of flight checks
- aviation meteorology
- common aviation safety regulations
What stands in the way is 21 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An air traffic controller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an air traffic safety technician background worth leading with.
- already held assist in the conducting of flight checks working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use of air traffic services document assisting and caring
- already held operate radar equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held air traffic control operations services
- already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held air transport law business, administration and law
All 11 carried skills, including the 11 the air traffic controller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 25 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn assist during take off and landing required
- still to learn apply technical communication skills required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn give instructions to staff required
- still to learn stay alert required
- still to learn use different communication channels required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn carry out navigational calculations required
- still to learn analyse work-related written reports required
- still to learn have spatial awareness required
- still to learn interpret visual literacy required
- still to learn monitor aviation meteorology required
- still to learn read 3D displays required
- still to learn apply airport standards and regulations required
- still to learn ensure public safety and security required
- still to learn comply with checklists required
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
- still to learn celestial navigation required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an air traffic controller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assist during take off and landing practise this
- 02 airport planning study this
- 03 apply airport standards and regulations practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held air traffic control operations knowledge
- already held air transport law knowledge
- already held aircraft flight control systems knowledge
- already held assist in the conducting of flight checks skill
- already held aviation meteorology knowledge
- already held common aviation safety regulations knowledge
- already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held operate radar equipment skill
- already held use meteorological information skill
- already held use of air traffic services document skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn operate airport control tower required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held tolerate stress optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform multiple tasks at the same time optional
44 held skills the air traffic controller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role address aircraft mechanical issues skill
- not needed by the target role advise aircraft in hazardous conditions skill
- not needed by the target role air traffic management knowledge
- not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport electrical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role airport safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess operating cost skill
- not needed by the target role carry out preventive airport maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role comply with air traffic control operations skill
- not needed by the target role conduct airport safety inspections skill
- not needed by the target role conduct safe aircraft marshalling skill
- not needed by the target role deal with air traffic issues skill
- not needed by the target role debug software skill
- not needed by the target role design control systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electrical systems skill
- not needed by the target role design electronic systems skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure aircraft compliance with regulation skill
- not needed by the target role ensure safety in international aviation skill
- not needed by the target role follow airport safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role follow industry codes of practice for aviation safety skill
- not needed by the target role global navigation satellite system performance parameters knowledge
- not needed by the target role implement airside safety procedures skill
- not needed by the target role implement safety management systems skill
- not needed by the target role implement the airside safety auditing system skill
- not needed by the target role inspect aircraft for airworthiness skill
- not needed by the target role install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install software skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage air navigation services skill
- not needed by the target role monitor customer safety on apron skill
- not needed by the target role operate cockpit control panels skill
- not needed by the target role oversee quality control skill
- not needed by the target role perform aircraft maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role perform necessary checks before moving aircraft onto stand skill
- not needed by the target role safety engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role surveillance radars knowledge
- not needed by the target role technical drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role test circuitry skill
- not needed by the target role test electrical equipment skill
4 further entries not listed here
4 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn airport planning required
- still to learn celestial navigation required
- still to learn pre-flight procedures for IFR flights required
- still to learn electronic communication required
Other moves recorded from air traffic safety technician
Common questions about this move
Can an air traffic safety technician become an air traffic controller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An air traffic safety technician already covers 33% of what an air traffic controller is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 11 of which the air traffic controller role treats as required.
What skills does an air traffic safety technician need to become an air traffic controller?
21 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is assist during take off and landing.
How hard is the move from air traffic safety technician to air traffic controller?
Its learning distance is 71.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
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.