Driller to underground heavy equipment operator
A driller already meets 24% of what the underground heavy equipment operator role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
73/ 100
1 How much of what an underground heavy equipment operator is expected to do is already part of a driller’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 underground heavy equipment operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An underground heavy equipment operator role treats 4 of its required skills as things a driller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- health and safety hazards underground
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- mechanics
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 10 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An underground heavy equipment operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a driller background worth leading with.
- already held operate drilling jumbo working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held operate drilling equipment handling and moving
- already held health and safety hazards underground services
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the underground heavy equipment operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 23 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 communicate mine equipment information required
- still to learn conduct inter-shift communication required
- still to learn deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- still to learn perform minor repairs to equipment required
- optional, not held operate LHD optional
- optional, not held operate continuous miner optional
- optional, not held operate longwall mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate powered roof support optional
- optional, not held operate production drilling machine optional
- optional, not held operate roof bolter optional
- optional, not held operate scaler optional
- optional, not held operate shuttle car optional
- optional, not held operate a range of underground mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic pumps optional
- optional, not held operate shotcreter optional
- optional, not held operate tunnelling machine optional
- still to learn inspect heavy underground mining machinery required
- still to learn electricity required
- still to learn operate mining tools required
- still to learn make independent operating decisions required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an underground heavy equipment operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 communicate mine equipment information practise this
- 02 conduct inter-shift communication practise this
- 03 deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held operate drilling equipment skill
- already held operate drilling jumbo skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held operate LHD optional
- optional, not held operate continuous miner optional
- optional, not held operate longwall mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate powered roof support optional
- optional, not held operate production drilling machine optional
- optional, not held operate roof bolter optional
- optional, not held operate scaler optional
- optional, not held operate shuttle car optional
- optional, not held operate a range of underground mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic pumps optional
- optional, not held operate shotcreter optional
- optional, not held operate tunnelling machine optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
13 held skills the underground heavy equipment operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check borehole depth skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate drilling skill
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role inspect drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role inspect water wells skill
- not needed by the target role maintain drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate core drilling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role position drills skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role record drilling skill
- not needed by the target role set up drilling rigs skill
- not needed by the target role transport drilling rigs skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically 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.
- still to learn electricity required
Common questions about this move
Can a driller become an underground heavy equipment operator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A driller already covers 24% of what an underground heavy equipment operator is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the underground heavy equipment operator role treats as required.
What skills does a driller need to become an underground heavy equipment operator?
10 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communicate mine equipment information.
How hard is the move from driller to underground heavy equipment operator?
Its learning distance is 73 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.