Rail traffic controller to chief conductor
A rail traffic controller already meets 18% of what the chief conductor role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.
81.8/ 100
1 How much of what a chief conductor is expected to do is already part of a rail traffic controller’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 chief conductor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A chief conductor role treats 4 of its required skills as things a rail traffic controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- handle stressful situations in the work place
- monitor train schedules
- operate railway communication systems
- provide information on train routes
What stands in the way is 20 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A chief conductor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a rail traffic controller background worth leading with.
- already held monitor train schedules information skills
- already held provide information on train routes assisting and caring
- already held operate railway communication systems working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place management skills
- already held use different communication channels communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 4 the chief conductor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 21 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 check tickets throughout carriages required
- still to learn answer questions about the train transport service required
- still to learn apply tramway regulations required
- still to learn assist disable passengers required
- still to learn assist passengers in emergency situations required
- still to learn ensure passenger comfort required
- still to learn help to control passenger behaviour during emergency situations required
- still to learn provide information to passengers required
- still to learn ensure implementation of safe driving practices required
- still to learn communicate clearly with passengers required
- still to learn sell train tickets required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn speak different languages required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- still to learn control the opening and closing of train doors required
- still to learn communicate reports provided by passengers required
- still to learn operate electronic payment terminals required
- still to learn handle petty cash required
- still to learn railway framework legislation required
- still to learn check carriages required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a chief conductor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 check tickets throughout carriages practise this
- 02 control the opening and closing of train doors practise this
- 03 answer questions about the train transport service 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- already held monitor train schedules skill
- already held operate railway communication systems skill
- already held provide information on train routes skill
- already held use different communication channels skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
1 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held act reliably optional
20 held skills the chief conductor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check for defects in railcars skill
- not needed by the target role determine train operational safety actions skill
- not needed by the target role maintain computerised records of railway traffic skill
- not needed by the target role maintain railway signal equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage train working timetable skill
- not needed by the target role mark differences in colours skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trains knowledge
- not needed by the target role modern power signalling systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate LED-based panel signal boxes skill
- not needed by the target role operate train integrated electronic control centre skill
- not needed by the target role operate train signalling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role oversee operational safety on trains skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the daily train operations plan skill
- not needed by the target role process data from railway control rooms skill
- not needed by the target role react calmly in stressful situations skill
- not needed by the target role signal box parts knowledge
- not needed by the target role signal boxes knowledge
- not needed by the target role test railway signalling equipment skill
- not needed by the target role train planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role write signalling reports 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.
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
- still to learn railway framework legislation required
Other moves recorded from rail traffic controller
Common questions about this move
Can a rail traffic controller become a chief conductor?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A rail traffic controller already covers 18% of what a chief conductor is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 4 of which the chief conductor role treats as required.
What skills does a rail traffic controller need to become a chief conductor?
20 required skills are missing, plus 1 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is check tickets throughout carriages.
How hard is the move from rail traffic controller to chief conductor?
Its learning distance is 81.8 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.