Drainage worker to drain technician
A drainage worker already meets 37% of what the drain technician role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
58.7/ 100
1 How much of what a drain technician is expected to do is already part of a drainage worker’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 drain technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A drain technician role treats 6 of its required skills as things a drainage worker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble manufactured pipeline parts
- detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure
- ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures
- install drainage well systems
- test pipeline infrastructure operations
- types of pipelines
What stands in the way is 6 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A drain technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a drainage worker background worth leading with.
- already held install drainage well systems constructing
- already held assemble manufactured pipeline parts constructing
- already held repair pipelines constructing
- already held test pipeline infrastructure operations information skills
- already held detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure constructing
- already held ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures assisting and caring
All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the drain technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 7 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 adjust cylinder valves required
- still to learn install plumbing systems required
- still to learn lay pipe installation required
- optional, not held maintain water distribution equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain water storage equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain water treatment equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
- optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
- still to learn apply health and safety standards required
- optional, not held regulate the flow of substances in pipelines optional
- optional, not held mitigate environmental impact of pipeline projects optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
- still to learn read standard blueprints required
- optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
- optional, not held maintain records of maintenance interventions optional
- still to learn liaise with engineers required
- optional, not held advise on equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held perform follow-up on pipeline route services optional
- optional, not held supervise sewerage systems construction optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a drain technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adjust cylinder valves practise this
- 02 apply health and safety standards practise this
- 03 install plumbing systems 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held assemble manufactured pipeline parts skill
- already held detect flaws in pipeline infrastructure skill
- already held ensure regulatory compliance in pipeline infrastructures skill
- already held install drainage well systems skill
- already held test pipeline infrastructure operations skill
- already held types of pipelines knowledge
- already held inspect pipelines skill
- already held repair pipelines skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held carry out cleaning of road drains optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held maintain water distribution equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain water storage equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain water treatment equipment optional
- optional, not held perform follow-up on pipeline route services optional
- optional, not held regulate the flow of substances in pipelines optional
- optional, not held supervise sewerage systems construction optional
- optional, not held advise on equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held carry out cleaning of road drains optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held examine engineering principles optional
- optional, not held maintain industrial equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain records of maintenance interventions optional
- optional, not held mitigate environmental impact of pipeline projects optional
- optional, not held operate soldering equipment optional
- optional, not held operate welding equipment optional
- optional, not held use personal protection equipment optional
31 held skills the drain technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role clear pipelines skill
- not needed by the target role create open drainage systems skill
- not needed by the target role design drainage well systems skill
- not needed by the target role dig soil mechanically skill
- not needed by the target role excavation techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect construction sites skill
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role inspect drainage channels skill
- not needed by the target role inspect sewers skill
- not needed by the target role install PVC piping skill
- not needed by the target role keep airport drainage systems functional skill
- not needed by the target role manage sumps skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate GPS systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate excavator skill
- not needed by the target role operate pumps skill
- not needed by the target role operate sumps skill
- not needed by the target role operate vacuum dewatering system skill
- not needed by the target role perform drainage work skill
- not needed by the target role perform water analysis skill
- not needed by the target role prevent pipeline deterioration skill
- not needed by the target role provide pipe bedding skill
- not needed by the target role set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
- not needed by the target role transport pipes skill
- not needed by the target role types of bedding materials knowledge
- not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
- not needed by the target role use safety equipment in construction skill
- not needed by the target role work in a construction team skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a drainage worker become a drain technician?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A drainage worker already covers 37% of what a drain technician is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 6 of which the drain technician role treats as required.
What skills does a drainage worker need to become a drain technician?
6 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is adjust cylinder valves.
How hard is the move from drainage worker to drain technician?
Its learning distance is 58.7 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.