Diesel engine mechanic to rolling stock engine tester
A diesel engine mechanic already meets 32% of what the rolling stock engine tester role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.1/ 100
1 How much of what a rolling stock engine tester is expected to do is already part of a diesel engine mechanic’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 rolling stock engine tester role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A rolling stock engine tester role treats 7 of its required skills as things a diesel engine mechanic already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- create solutions to problems
- diagnose defective engines
- engine components
- evaluate engine performance
- mechanics
- mechanics of trains
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 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A rolling stock engine tester role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a diesel engine mechanic background worth leading with.
- already held diagnose defective engines information skills
- already held mechanics of trains engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held evaluate engine performance information skills
- already held re-assemble engines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held disassemble engines working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operation of different engines engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the rolling stock engine tester role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 read engineering drawings required
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- still to learn record test data required
- still to learn use technical documentation required
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- still to learn engineering processes required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- still to learn conduct performance tests required
- still to learn perform test run required
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- still to learn operate precision measuring equipment required
- still to learn use testing equipment required
- optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
- still to learn control compliance of railway vehicles regulations required
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a rolling stock engine tester role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 control compliance of railway vehicles regulations practise this
- 02 engineering processes study this
- 03 conduct performance tests 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held diagnose defective engines skill
- already held engine components knowledge
- already held evaluate engine performance skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
- already held operation of different engines knowledge
- already held disassemble engines skill
- already held re-assemble engines skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held position engine on test stand optional
- optional, not held write records for repairs optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held lead inspections optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held maintain test equipment optional
- optional, not held manage maintenance operations optional
- optional, not held operate lifting equipment optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
- optional, not held send faulty equipment back to assembly line optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
33 held skills the rolling stock engine tester role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adjust tightness of engine parts skill
- not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive diagnostic equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role bolt engine parts skill
- not needed by the target role check train engines skill
- not needed by the target role clean vehicle engine skill
- not needed by the target role comply with factory specifications in engine repair skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role execute working instructions skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety measures in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role install transport equipment engines skill
- not needed by the target role issue sales invoices skill
- not needed by the target role lubricate engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain electrical engines skill
- not needed by the target role maintain vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role maintain work area cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trolley buses knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on locomotives skill
- not needed by the target role perform manual work autonomously skill
- not needed by the target role perform routine maintenance on railway engines skill
- not needed by the target role physics knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of combustion engines knowledge
- not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide customer information related to repairs skill
- not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role repair engines skill
- not needed by the target role use automotive diagnostic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role use traditional toolbox tools skill
- not needed by the target role wear appropriate protective gear 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.
- still to learn engineering processes required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn electromechanics required
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held quality assurance procedures optional
Common questions about this move
Can a diesel engine mechanic become a rolling stock engine tester?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A diesel engine mechanic already covers 32% of what a rolling stock engine tester is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the rolling stock engine tester role treats as required.
What skills does a diesel engine mechanic need to become a rolling stock engine tester?
12 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is control compliance of railway vehicles regulations.
How hard is the move from diesel engine mechanic to rolling stock engine tester?
Its learning distance is 66.1 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.