Shotfirer to driller
A shotfirer already meets 29% of what the driller role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.5/ 100
1 How much of what a driller is expected to do is already part of a shotfirer’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 driller role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A driller role treats 2 of its required skills as things a shotfirer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- check borehole depth
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 8 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 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A driller role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a shotfirer background worth leading with.
- already held check borehole depth constructing
- already held health and safety hazards underground services
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held provide first aid assisting and caring
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction assisting and caring
- already held work ergonomically assisting and caring
All 7 carried skills, including the 2 the driller role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 coordinate drilling required
- still to learn set up drilling rigs required
- still to learn transport drilling rigs required
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- still to learn inspect drilling equipment required
- still to learn maintain drilling equipment required
- still to learn position drills required
- still to learn operate drilling equipment required
- still to learn record drilling required
- optional, not held inspect water wells optional
- optional, not held mechanics optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a driller role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 position drills practise this
- 02 record drilling practise this
- 03 coordinate drilling 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 7 skills that carry over
- already held check borehole depth skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held provide first aid skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held operate core drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- optional, not held inspect water wells optional
- optional, not held mechanics optional
13 held skills the driller role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role connect blasting circuit skill
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine area after blast skill
- not needed by the target role examine prospective blast area skill
- not needed by the target role explosives knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle explosives skill
- not needed by the target role insert charges into drill holes skill
- not needed by the target role make independent operating decisions skill
- not needed by the target role marksmanship knowledge
- not needed by the target role report misfires skill
- not needed by the target role report outcome of blast skill
- not needed by the target role safely detonate explosives skill
- not needed by the target role signal for explosion skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held mechanics optional
Common questions about this move
Can a shotfirer become a driller?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A shotfirer already covers 29% of what a driller is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 2 of which the driller role treats as required.
What skills does a shotfirer need to become a driller?
8 required skills are missing, plus 4 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 position drills.
How hard is the move from shotfirer to driller?
Its learning distance is 65.5 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.