Shotfirer to explosives engineer
A shotfirer already meets 48% of what the explosives engineer role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
52.1/ 100
1 How much of what an explosives engineer 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 explosives engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An explosives engineer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a shotfirer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- electricity
- examine prospective blast area
- explosives
- handle explosives
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- report misfires
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 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An explosives engineer 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 report misfires information skills
- already held report outcome of blast information skills
- already held safely detonate explosives assisting and caring
- already held signal for explosion assisting and caring
- already held examine prospective blast area information skills
- already held handle explosives handling and moving
All 10 carried skills, including the 8 the explosives engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 12 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 issue drilling instructions required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- optional, not held present reports optional
- still to learn chemistry required
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- still to learn ensure compliance with safety legislation required
- still to learn sequence explosions required
- still to learn decide quantity of explosives required required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an explosives engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 decide quantity of explosives required practise this
- 02 issue drilling instructions practise this
- 03 sequence explosions 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 10 skills that carry over
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held examine prospective blast area skill
- already held explosives knowledge
- already held handle explosives skill
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held report misfires skill
- already held report outcome of blast skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
- already held safely detonate explosives skill
- already held signal for explosion skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
10 held skills the explosives engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check borehole depth skill
- not needed by the target role connect blasting circuit skill
- not needed by the target role examine area after blast skill
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- 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 provide first aid skill
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically 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 chemistry required
- still to learn geology required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- optional, not held mine safety legislation optional
- optional, not held mining engineering optional
Common questions about this move
Can a shotfirer become an explosives engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A shotfirer already covers 48% of what an explosives engineer is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 8 of which the explosives engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a shotfirer need to become an explosives engineer?
8 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is decide quantity of explosives required.
How hard is the move from shotfirer to explosives engineer?
Its learning distance is 52.1 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.