Rail traffic controller to level crossing signalperson
A rail traffic controller already meets 21% of what the level crossing signalperson role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
79.7/ 100
1 How much of what a level crossing signalperson 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 level crossing signalperson role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A level crossing signalperson role treats 5 of its required skills as things a rail traffic controller already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- operate LED-based panel signal boxes
- operate train signalling equipment
- signal box parts
- signal boxes
- test railway signalling equipment
What stands in the way is 19 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A level crossing signalperson 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 operate LED-based panel signal boxes working with computers
- already held operate train signalling equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held signal boxes engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held test railway signalling equipment constructing
- already held signal box parts services
- already held maintain railway signal equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 6 carried skills, including the 5 the level crossing signalperson role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 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 follow signalling instructions required
- still to learn communicate verbal instructions required
- still to learn cooperate with colleagues required
- still to learn execute working instructions required
- still to learn stay alert required
- optional, not held liaise with railway stakeholders for accident investigations optional
- optional, not held authorise occupancy of rail tracks optional
- still to learn operate barriers at level crossings required
- still to learn apply signalling control procedures required
- still to learn operate railway lever frames required
- still to learn operate railway switches required
- still to learn operate railway warning systems required
- still to learn compile railway signalling reports required
- still to learn read railway circuit plans required
- optional, not held carry out railway accident investigations optional
- still to learn enforce railway safety regulations required
- still to learn ensure compliance with railway regulation required
- still to learn follow strict level crossing operating procedures required
- still to learn plan railway incident mitigation measures required
- still to learn railway framework legislation required
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a level crossing signalperson role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 compile railway signalling reports practise this
- 02 operate barriers at level crossings practise this
- 03 apply signalling control procedures 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held operate LED-based panel signal boxes skill
- already held operate train signalling equipment skill
- already held signal box parts knowledge
- already held signal boxes knowledge
- already held test railway signalling equipment skill
- already held maintain railway signal equipment skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn level crossing regulations required
- still to learn operate railway control panels required
3 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held liaise with railway stakeholders for accident investigations optional
- optional, not held authorise occupancy of rail tracks optional
- optional, not held carry out railway accident investigations optional
19 held skills the level crossing signalperson 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 handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role maintain computerised records of railway traffic 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 monitor train schedules skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate train integrated electronic control centre 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 provide information on train routes skill
- not needed by the target role react calmly in stressful situations skill
- not needed by the target role train planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
- 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 level crossing 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 level crossing signalperson?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A rail traffic controller already covers 21% of what a level crossing signalperson is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 5 of which the level crossing signalperson role treats as required.
What skills does a rail traffic controller need to become a level crossing signalperson?
19 required skills are missing, plus 3 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is compile railway signalling reports.
How hard is the move from rail traffic controller to level crossing signalperson?
Its learning distance is 79.7 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.