Event scaffolder to high rigger
An event scaffolder already meets 49% of what the high rigger role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.3/ 100
1 How much of what a high rigger is expected to do is already part of an event scaffolder’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 high rigger role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A high rigger role treats 11 of its required skills as things an event scaffolder already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- assemble performance equipment
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- organise resources for artistic production
- store performance equipment
- use personal protection equipment
- use rope access techniques
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 17 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A high rigger role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an event scaffolder background worth leading with.
- already held operate telehandler working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held use rope access techniques handling and moving
- already held assemble performance equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held organise resources for artistic production management skills
- already held store performance equipment handling and moving
- already held manage technical resources stock management skills
All 17 carried skills, including the 11 the high rigger role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 6 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 assemble truss constructions required
- still to learn hang chain hoists required
- still to learn maintain rigging equipment required
- optional, not held assemble circus rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain chain hoists optional
- optional, not held maintain circus rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held perform regular checks on rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held plot rigging movements optional
- still to learn evacuate people from heights required
- still to learn provide first aid required
- still to learn react to emergency situations in a live performance environment required
- optional, not held ensure safety of mobile electrical systems optional
- still to learn use communication equipment required
- still to learn provide power distribution required
- still to learn write risk assessment on performing arts production required
- optional, not held calculate rigging plots optional
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- still to learn promote health and safety required
- optional, not held design rigging plots optional
- optional, not held define rigging needs for circus acts optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a high rigger role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assemble truss constructions practise this
- 02 hang chain hoists practise this
- 03 maintain rigging equipment 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 17 skills that carry over
- already held assemble performance equipment skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held organise resources for artistic production skill
- already held store performance equipment skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
- already held use rope access techniques skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work safely with machines skill
- already held work safely with mobile electrical systems under supervision skill
- already held work with respect for own safety skill
- already held develop professional network skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held manage personal professional development skill
- already held manage technical resources stock skill
- already held operate forklift skill
- already held operate telehandler skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assemble circus rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held calculate rigging plots optional
- optional, not held define rigging needs for circus acts optional
- optional, not held design rigging plots optional
- optional, not held document safety actions optional
- optional, not held ensure safety of mobile electrical systems optional
- optional, not held maintain chain hoists optional
- optional, not held maintain circus rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held perform regular checks on rigging equipment optional
- optional, not held plot rigging movements optional
13 held skills the high rigger role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role attach roofing cover skill
- not needed by the target role build scaffolding skill
- not needed by the target role construct working platform skill
- not needed by the target role dismantle scaffolding skill
- not needed by the target role inspect scaffolding skill
- not needed by the target role install metal roofing skill
- not needed by the target role install temporary audience accommodation skill
- not needed by the target role plan scaffolding skill
- not needed by the target role position guardrails and toeboards skill
- not needed by the target role position outriggers skill
- not needed by the target role rig loads skill
- not needed by the target role scaffolding components knowledge
- not needed by the target role set up stage decks skill
Common questions about this move
Can an event scaffolder become a high rigger?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An event scaffolder already covers 49% of what a high rigger is expected to do: 17 skills carry over, 11 of which the high rigger role treats as required.
What skills does an event scaffolder need to become a high rigger?
10 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is assemble truss constructions.
How hard is the move from event scaffolder to high rigger?
Its learning distance is 56.3 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.