Rail layer to tunnel boring machine operator
A rail layer already meets 50% of what the tunnel boring machine operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.6/ 100
1 How much of what a tunnel boring machine operator is expected to do is already part of a rail layer’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 tunnel boring machine operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tunnel boring machine operator role treats 7 of its required skills as things a rail layer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- mechanical systems
- mechanics
- react to events in time-critical environments
- transport construction supplies
- use safety equipment in construction
What stands in the way is 7 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A tunnel boring machine operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a rail layer background worth leading with.
- already held machinery load capacity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition constructing
- already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held mechanical systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure constructing
- already held react to events in time-critical environments communication, collaboration and creativity
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the tunnel boring machine operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 13 missing skills fall into 5 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 drive tunnel boring machine required
- still to learn operate theodolite required
- still to learn switch tunnel boring machine modes required
- still to learn tend boring machine required
- optional, not held determine tunnel boring machine speed optional
- optional, not held monitor tunnel boring machine supplies optional
- optional, not held coordinate drilling optional
- optional, not held operate excavator optional
- still to learn tunnel boring machine console required
- optional, not held electricity optional
- still to learn install tunnel segments required
- still to learn prevent damage to utility infrastructure required
- optional, not held monitor excavated material optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tunnel boring machine operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 drive tunnel boring machine practise this
- 02 operate theodolite practise this
- 03 switch tunnel boring machine modes 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held mechanical systems knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held react to events in time-critical environments skill
- already held transport construction supplies skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment skill
- already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held machinery load capacity knowledge
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
- already held work in a construction team skill
6 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held determine tunnel boring machine speed optional
- optional, not held monitor excavated material optional
- optional, not held monitor tunnel boring machine supplies optional
- optional, not held coordinate drilling optional
- optional, not held operate excavator optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
29 held skills the tunnel boring machine operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply spot welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply thermite welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
- not needed by the target role ensure rail tracks remain clear skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role inspect railways visually skill
- not needed by the target role install railway detectors skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role maintain rail infrastructure skill
- not needed by the target role monitor ballast regulator skill
- not needed by the target role monitor rail laying machine skill
- not needed by the target role monitor rail pickup machine skill
- not needed by the target role monitor tamping car skill
- not needed by the target role operate grappler skill
- not needed by the target role operate rail grinder skill
- not needed by the target role operate sleeper clipping unit skill
- not needed by the target role pave asphalt layers skill
- not needed by the target role perform drainage work skill
- not needed by the target role pour concrete skill
- not needed by the target role process incoming construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
- not needed by the target role rig loads skill
- not needed by the target role screed concrete skill
- not needed by the target role secure working area skill
- not needed by the target role use measurement instruments skill
- not needed by the target role work trains knowledge
2 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 tunnel boring machine console required
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can a rail layer become a tunnel boring machine operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A rail layer already covers 50% of what a tunnel boring machine operator is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the tunnel boring machine operator role treats as required.
What skills does a rail layer need to become a tunnel boring machine operator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 6 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is drive tunnel boring machine.
How hard is the move from rail layer to tunnel boring machine operator?
Its learning distance is 53.6 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.