Rolling stock electrician to avionics technician
A rolling stock electrician already meets 54% of what the avionics technician role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
48.2/ 100
1 How much of what an avionics technician is expected to do is already part of a rolling stock electrician’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 avionics technician role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An avionics technician role treats 12 of its required skills as things a rolling stock electrician already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply health and safety standards
- apply soldering techniques
- electrical systems used in transportation
- electrical wiring plans
- electricity
- electronics
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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An avionics technician role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a rolling stock electrician background worth leading with.
- already held electrical systems used in transportation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health handling and moving
- already held test electronic units constructing
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held apply soldering techniques constructing
- already held electrical wiring plans engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 16 carried skills, including the 12 the avionics technician role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 10 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 electronics principles required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- still to learn read engineering drawings required
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn solder electronics required
- still to learn assemble electrical components required
- still to learn aircraft flight control systems required
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an avionics technician role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 aircraft flight control systems study this
- 02 common aviation safety regulations study this
- 03 electronics principles study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 16 skills that carry over
- already held apply health and safety standards skill
- already held apply soldering techniques skill
- already held electrical systems used in transportation knowledge
- already held electrical wiring plans knowledge
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held electronics knowledge
- already held install electrical and electronic equipment skill
- already held operate soldering equipment skill
- already held read standard blueprints skill
- already held test electronic units skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
- already held conduct performance tests skill
- already held follow procedures to control substances hazardous to health skill
- already held maintain electrical equipment skill
- already held use testing equipment skill
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
12 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held adjust engineering designs optional
- optional, not held calibrate electronic instruments optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held liaise with engineers optional
- optional, not held maintain electronic equipment optional
- optional, not held use CAD software optional
- optional, not held use CADD software optional
18 held skills the avionics technician role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check train engines skill
- not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
- not needed by the target role detect malfunctions in train control systems skill
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with warranty contracts skill
- not needed by the target role ensure maintenance of trains skill
- not needed by the target role fasten components skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
- not needed by the target role install electronic communication devices on trains skill
- not needed by the target role install transport equipment lighting skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics of trains knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform test run skill
- not needed by the target role position vehicles for maintenance and repair skill
- not needed by the target role use diagnostic tools for electronic repairs skill
- not needed by the target role use specialised tools in electric repairs skill
- not needed by the target role use technical documentation skill
- not needed by the target role write records for repairs skill
9 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 aircraft flight control systems required
- still to learn common aviation safety regulations required
- still to learn electronics principles required
- still to learn electrical engineering required
- optional, not held engineering processes optional
- optional, not held CAD software optional
- optional, not held CADD software optional
- optional, not held CAE software optional
- optional, not held engineering principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can a rolling stock electrician become an avionics technician?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A rolling stock electrician already covers 54% of what an avionics technician is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 12 of which the avionics technician role treats as required.
What skills does a rolling stock electrician need to become an avionics technician?
7 required skills are missing, plus 12 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is aircraft flight control systems.
How hard is the move from rolling stock electrician to avionics technician?
Its learning distance is 48.2 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.