Engine minder to decksman
An engine minder already meets 24% of what the decksman role asks for. The move turns on 31 required skills not yet in the profile.
83.1/ 100
1 How much of what a decksman is expected to do is already part of an engine minder’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 decksman role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A decksman role treats 9 of its required skills as things an engine minder already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply regulations on cargo transport operations
- clean parts of vessels
- comply with checklists
- execute safety assurance exercises
- maintain vessel engine room
- moor vessels
What stands in the way is 31 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A decksman role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an engine minder background worth leading with.
- already held execute safety assurance exercises assisting and caring
- already held clean parts of vessels handling and moving
- already held principles of combustion engines engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held prepare engine room for operation working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held apply regulations on cargo transport operations assisting and caring
- already held maintain vessel engine room constructing
All 15 carried skills, including the 9 the decksman role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 43 missing skills fall into 8 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 anchoring operations required
- still to learn launch lifeboats required
- still to learn operate life-saving appliances required
- still to learn perform daily maintenance on ship machinery required
- still to learn perform vessel maintenance and cleaning required
- still to learn secure ships using rope required
- still to learn understand different types of locks and their operation required
- still to learn use ballasts required
- still to learn use equipment for safe stowage required
- optional, not held manipulate sails on vessels optional
- optional, not held use waterway traffic control systems optional
- still to learn adhere to traffic regulations on inland waterways required
- still to learn facilitate safe disembarkation of passengers required
- still to learn help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations required
- still to learn manage environmental aspects of inland waterway transportation required
- still to learn undertake navigation safety actions required
- still to learn follow procedures in the event of an alarm required
- still to learn use different types of fire extinguishers required
- optional, not held ensure integrity of hull optional
- optional, not held prepare simple meals on board optional
- optional, not held implement environmental protection measures optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- still to learn communicate reports provided by passengers required
- still to learn maintain ropes required
- still to learn maintain service record book required
- still to learn manage on board hazards required
- still to learn read stowage plans required
- still to learn types of cargo required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
- optional, not held european classification of inland waterways optional
- optional, not held passenger transport regulations optional
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
- still to learn follow verbal instructions required
- still to learn follow written instructions required
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
- still to learn clean ships required
- still to learn load cargo onto ships required
- optional, not held perform manual work autonomously optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a decksman role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 clean ships practise this
- 02 adhere to traffic regulations on inland waterways practise this
- 03 assist anchoring operations 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 15 skills that carry over
- already held apply regulations on cargo transport operations skill
- already held clean parts of vessels skill
- already held comply with checklists skill
- already held execute safety assurance exercises skill
- already held maintain vessel engine room skill
- already held moor vessels skill
- already held prepare engine room for operation skill
- already held swim skill
- already held unmoor vessels skill
- already held act reliably skill
- already held distinguish various types of ships skill
- already held perform services in a flexible manner skill
- already held principles of combustion engines knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held work in a water transport team skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn paint ship decks required
- still to learn maintain vessel technical equipment according to instructions required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- optional, not held inland waterway police regulations optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ensure integrity of hull optional
- optional, not held european classification of inland waterways optional
- optional, not held inland waterway police regulations optional
- optional, not held manipulate sails on vessels optional
- optional, not held passenger transport regulations optional
- optional, not held perform manual work autonomously optional
- optional, not held prepare simple meals on board optional
- optional, not held use waterway traffic control systems optional
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
- optional, not held implement environmental protection measures optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held show intercultural awareness optional
18 held skills the decksman role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply vessel engine regulations skill
- not needed by the target role detect malfunctions in engines skill
- not needed by the target role electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role engine components knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure vessel compliance with regulations skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role inland waterway ship building knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage vessel control systems skill
- not needed by the target role monitor pumping system operations skill
- not needed by the target role operate vessel engine room skill
- not needed by the target role operation of different engines knowledge
- not needed by the target role prepare equipment for navigation operations skill
- not needed by the target role prepare main engines for navigation operations skill
- not needed by the target role prevent damage to electrical devices on board skill
- not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role vessel fuels knowledge
8 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 types of cargo required
- still to learn vessel safety equipment required
- still to learn international regulations for cargo handling required
- still to learn national regulations on handling cargo required
- optional, not held european classification of inland waterways optional
- optional, not held inland waterway police regulations optional
- optional, not held passenger transport regulations optional
- optional, not held vessel stability principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can an engine minder become a decksman?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An engine minder already covers 24% of what a decksman is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 9 of which the decksman role treats as required.
What skills does an engine minder need to become a decksman?
31 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is clean ships.
How hard is the move from engine minder to decksman?
Its learning distance is 83.1 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.