Deck officer to skipper
A deck officer already meets 16% of what the skipper role asks for. The move turns on 45 required skills not yet in the profile.
89.6/ 100
1 How much of what a skipper is expected to do is already part of a deck officer’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 skipper role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A skipper role treats 8 of its required skills as things a deck officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ensure vessel security
- manipulate sails on vessels
- plot shipping navigation routes
- provide first aid
- steer vessels
- use water navigation devices
What stands in the way is 45 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. A skipper role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a deck officer background worth leading with.
- already held plot shipping navigation routes working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held steer vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held manipulate sails on vessels working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held vessel points of sail services
- already held ensure vessel security information skills
- already held secure ships using rope working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 11 carried skills, including the 8 the skipper role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 52 missing skills fall into 11 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 adhere to traffic regulations on inland waterways required
- still to learn ensure integrity of hull required
- still to learn ensure safe loading of goods according to stowage plan required
- still to learn ensure vessel compliance with regulations required
- still to learn manage environmental aspects of inland waterway transportation required
- still to learn restrict passenger access to specific areas on board required
- still to learn undertake navigation safety actions required
- still to learn prepare safety exercises on ships required
- optional, not held verify qualifications of water transport crew optional
- optional, not held implement environmental protection measures optional
- still to learn analyse reports provided by passengers required
- still to learn assess stability of vessels required
- still to learn calculate the amount of cargo on a vessel required
- still to learn conduct analysis of ship data required
- still to learn distinguish ship construction methods required
- still to learn distinguish various types of ships required
- still to learn read stowage plans required
- still to learn use meteorological information required
- optional, not held analyse travel alternatives optional
- optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
- still to learn european classification of inland waterways required
- still to learn international waterways required
- still to learn national waterways required
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
- still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
- still to learn principles of cargo stowage required
- still to learn vessel stability principles required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
- still to learn assess trim of vessels required
- still to learn conduct water navigation required
- still to learn navigate European inland waterways required
- still to learn recognise abnormalities on board required
- still to learn use modern electronic navigational aids required
- still to learn use radar navigation required
- still to learn assume highest level of responsibility in inland water transportation required
- still to learn monitor crew members operating engines required
- still to learn compose stowage plans required
- still to learn coordinate the itineraries of vessels required
- still to learn manage vessel cargo activities required
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- still to learn instruct on technical shore-based operations required
- still to learn communicate mooring plans required
- still to learn provide on-board safety training required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
5 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a skipper role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assume highest level of responsibility in inland water transportation practise this
- 02 instruct on technical shore-based operations practise this
- 03 monitor crew members operating engines 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 ensure vessel security skill
- already held manipulate sails on vessels skill
- already held plot shipping navigation routes skill
- already held provide first aid skill
- already held steer vessels skill
- already held use water navigation devices skill
- already held vessel points of sail knowledge
- already held vessel safety equipment knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held secure ships using rope skill
- already held use maritime English skill
The 5 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn inland waterway police regulations required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- still to learn multimodal transport logistics required
- still to learn functions of vessel deck equipment required
- still to learn inland waterway ship building required
- still to learn secure cargo in stowage required
- still to learn vessel fuels required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse travel alternatives optional
- optional, not held verify qualifications of water transport crew optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held implement environmental protection measures optional
- optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
17 held skills the skipper role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Global Maritime Distress and Safety System knowledge
- not needed by the target role International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships knowledge
- not needed by the target role assess vessel status skill
- not needed by the target role assist water-based navigation skill
- not needed by the target role celestial navigation knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role consider economic criteria in decision making skill
- not needed by the target role ensure smooth on board operations skill
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role international regulations for preventing collisions at sea knowledge
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role stay up-to-date with maritime transportation technology skill
- not needed by the target role supervise loading of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role supervise unloading of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate stress skill
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- not needed by the target role work in a water transport team skill
14 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 european classification of inland waterways required
- still to learn functions of vessel deck equipment required
- still to learn inland waterway police regulations required
- still to learn inland waterway ship building required
- still to learn international waterways required
- still to learn national waterways required
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
- still to learn physical parts of the vessel required
- still to learn principles of cargo stowage required
- still to learn vessel fuels required
- still to learn vessel stability principles required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- still to learn multimodal transport logistics required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
Common questions about this move
Can a deck officer become a skipper?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A deck officer already covers 16% of what a skipper is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 8 of which the skipper role treats as required.
What skills does a deck officer need to become a skipper?
45 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 11 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is assume highest level of responsibility in inland water transportation.
How hard is the move from deck officer to skipper?
Its learning distance is 89.6 out of 100, which is the career change 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.