Oil rig motorhand to driller
An oil rig motorhand already meets 18% of what the driller role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
73/ 100
1 How much of what a driller is expected to do is already part of an oil rig motorhand’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 driller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A driller role treats 2 of its required skills as things an oil rig motorhand already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- set up drilling rigs
- transport drilling rigs
What stands in the way is 8 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 3 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A driller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an oil rig motorhand background worth leading with.
- already held set up drilling rigs working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held transport drilling rigs working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 3 carried skills, including the 2 the driller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 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 check borehole depth required
- still to learn inspect drilling equipment required
- still to learn maintain drilling equipment required
- still to learn position drills required
- still to learn operate drilling equipment required
- still to learn coordinate drilling required
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- still to learn record drilling required
- optional, not held inspect water wells optional
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held follow health and safety procedures in construction optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held work ergonomically optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a driller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 position drills practise this
- 02 record drilling practise this
- 03 check borehole depth 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 3 skills that carry over
- already held set up drilling rigs skill
- already held transport drilling rigs skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- optional, not held follow health and safety procedures in construction optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
- optional, not held inspect water wells optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held work ergonomically optional
15 held skills the driller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role connect equipment to wellheads skill
- not needed by the target role direct rigging equipment operators skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role guide cranes skill
- not needed by the target role guide drill pipes skill
- not needed by the target role lead drilling crews skill
- not needed by the target role lift heavy weights skill
- not needed by the target role maintain mechanical equipment skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical tools knowledge
- not needed by the target role move rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate rig motors skill
- not needed by the target role rigging terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role train crew members skill
- not needed by the target role use rigging equipment skill
- not needed by the target role work in drilling teams skill
2 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 impact of geological factors on mining operations optional
- optional, not held health and safety hazards underground optional
Other moves recorded from oil rig motorhand
Common questions about this move
Can an oil rig motorhand become a driller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An oil rig motorhand already covers 18% of what a driller is expected to do: 3 skills carry over, 2 of which the driller role treats as required.
What skills does an oil rig motorhand need to become a driller?
8 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by constructing. The single most important is position drills.
How hard is the move from oil rig motorhand to driller?
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.