Rolling stock assembler to aircraft assembler
A rolling stock assembler already meets 69% of what the aircraft assembler role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.8/ 100
1 How much of what an aircraft assembler is expected to do is already part of a rolling stock assembler’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 aircraft assembler role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An aircraft assembler role treats 15 of its required skills as things a rolling stock assembler already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- align components
- apply health and safety standards
- apply preliminary treatment to workpieces
- assemble metal parts
- electromechanics
- ensure equipment availability
What stands in the way is 3 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 26 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An aircraft assembler role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a rolling stock assembler background worth leading with.
- already held assemble metal parts handling and moving
- already held set up automotive robot working with computers
- already held cut metal products handling and moving
- already held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces handling and moving
- already held use power tools handling and moving
- already held operate lifting equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 26 carried skills, including the 15 the aircraft assembler role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 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 aircraft mechanics required
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held rivet types optional
- still to learn operate drill press required
- optional, not held perform aircraft maintenance optional
- optional, not held tend riveting machine optional
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
- optional, not held tend CNC drilling machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC laser cutting machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC metal punch press optional
- optional, not held tend CNC milling machine optional
- optional, not held tend computer numerical control lathe machine optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- optional, not held operate handheld riveting equipment optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an aircraft assembler role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 common aviation safety regulations study this
- 02 aircraft mechanics study this
- 03 operate drill press 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 26 skills that carry over
- already held align components skill
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held apply preliminary treatment to workpieces skill
- already held assemble metal parts skill
- already held electromechanics knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held fasten components skill
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held use power tools skill
- already held use technical documentation skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held cut metal products skill
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held inspect quality of products skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held liaise with engineers skill
- already held operate lifting equipment skill
- already held operate welding equipment skill
- already held record test data skill
- already held set up automotive robot skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held defense system optional
16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held archive documentation related to work optional
- optional, not held defense system optional
- optional, not held perform aircraft maintenance optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- optional, not held operate handheld riveting equipment optional
- optional, not held program a CNC controller optional
- optional, not held rivet types optional
- optional, not held tend CNC drilling machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC grinding machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC laser cutting machine optional
- optional, not held tend CNC metal punch press optional
- optional, not held tend CNC milling machine optional
- optional, not held tend computer numerical control lathe machine optional
- optional, not held tend riveting machine optional
- optional, not held use CAM software optional
21 held skills the aircraft assembler role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European Train Control System knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply arc welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply flux skill
- not needed by the target role apply spot welding techniques skill
- not needed by the target role control compliance of railway vehicles regulations skill
- not needed by the target role couple bogies to rail vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure maintenance of trains skill
- not needed by the target role install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- not needed by the target role install low voltage wiring skill
- not needed by the target role install pneumatic systems skill
- not needed by the target role locomotive brake applications knowledge
- not needed by the target role lubricate rolling stock wheels skill
- not needed by the target role manipulate metal skill
- not needed by the target role mark processed workpiece skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trains knowledge
- not needed by the target role metal thermal conductivity knowledge
- not needed by the target role operate soldering equipment skill
- not needed by the target role prepare pieces for joining skill
- not needed by the target role work in assembly line teams skill
5 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 common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn aircraft mechanics required
- optional, not held defense system optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held rivet types optional
Other moves recorded from rolling stock assembler
Common questions about this move
Can a rolling stock assembler become an aircraft assembler?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A rolling stock assembler already covers 69% of what an aircraft assembler is expected to do: 26 skills carry over, 15 of which the aircraft assembler role treats as required.
What skills does a rolling stock assembler need to become an aircraft assembler?
3 required skills are missing, plus 16 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is common aviation safety regulations.
How hard is the move from rolling stock assembler to aircraft assembler?
Its learning distance is 35.8 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.