Infantry soldier to squadron leader
An infantry soldier already meets 53% of what the squadron leader role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
43.4/ 100
1 How much of what a squadron leader is expected to do is already part of an infantry soldier’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 squadron leader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A squadron leader role treats 5 of its required skills as things an infantry soldier already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ensure compliance with types of weapons
- military combat techniques
- operate radio equipment
- perform military operations
- provide humanitarian aid
What stands in the way is 5 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 squadron leader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an infantry soldier background worth leading with.
- already held provide humanitarian aid assisting and caring
- already held operate armoured fighting vehicles working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held camouflage engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held perform military operations assisting and caring
- already held military combat techniques services
- already held legal use-of-force business, administration and law
All 15 carried skills, including the 5 the squadron leader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 give battle commands required
- still to learn maintain operational communications required
- still to learn train military troops required
- still to learn manage troop deployment required
- still to learn lead military troops required
- optional, not held apply air force procedures optional
- optional, not held apply military aviation regulations optional
- optional, not held military aviation optional
- optional, not held air force operations optional
- optional, not held assess danger in risk areas optional
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a squadron leader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 manage troop deployment practise this
- 02 give battle commands practise this
- 03 lead military troops 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 ensure compliance with types of weapons skill
- already held military combat techniques knowledge
- already held operate radio equipment skill
- already held perform military operations skill
- already held provide humanitarian aid skill
- already held camouflage knowledge
- already held execute working instructions skill
- already held handle surveillance equipment skill
- already held identify security threats skill
- already held legal use-of-force knowledge
- already held military code knowledge
- already held operate armoured fighting vehicles skill
- already held surveillance methods knowledge
- already held use different communication channels skill
- already held use personal protection equipment skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
7 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held military aviation optional
- optional, not held use geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held air force operations optional
- optional, not held apply air force procedures optional
- optional, not held apply military aviation regulations optional
- optional, not held assess danger in risk areas optional
17 held skills the squadron leader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assist in ship maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role control crowd skill
- not needed by the target role detain offenders skill
- not needed by the target role ensure public safety and security skill
- not needed by the target role execute vehicle maintenance skill
- not needed by the target role first aid knowledge
- not needed by the target role law enforcement knowledge
- not needed by the target role military drill knowledge
- not needed by the target role military weaponry knowledge
- not needed by the target role patrol areas skill
- not needed by the target role perform covert investigations skill
- not needed by the target role practice vigilance skill
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role read maps skill
- not needed by the target role respond to enquiries skill
- not needed by the target role restrain individuals skill
- not needed by the target role undertake inspections skill
3 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 geographic information systems optional
- optional, not held military aviation optional
- optional, not held air force operations optional
Common questions about this move
Can an infantry soldier become a squadron leader?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An infantry soldier already covers 53% of what a squadron leader is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 5 of which the squadron leader role treats as required.
What skills does an infantry soldier need to become a squadron leader?
5 required skills are missing, plus 7 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is manage troop deployment.
How hard is the move from infantry soldier to squadron leader?
Its learning distance is 43.4 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.