Shotfirer to underground heavy equipment operator
A shotfirer already meets 26% of what the underground heavy equipment operator role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
72/ 100
1 How much of what an underground heavy equipment operator 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 underground heavy equipment operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An underground heavy equipment operator role treats 5 of its required skills as things a shotfirer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- electricity
- health and safety hazards underground
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- make independent operating decisions
- troubleshoot
What stands in the way is 9 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 5 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An underground heavy equipment operator 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 health and safety hazards underground services
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held make independent operating decisions management skills
- already held electricity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held troubleshoot communication, collaboration and creativity
All 5 carried skills, including the 5 the underground heavy equipment operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 missing skills fall into 6 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 communicate mine equipment information required
- still to learn conduct inter-shift communication required
- still to learn deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances required
- still to learn address problems critically required
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- still to learn perform minor repairs to equipment required
- optional, not held operate LHD optional
- optional, not held operate continuous miner optional
- optional, not held operate longwall mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate powered roof support optional
- optional, not held operate production drilling machine optional
- optional, not held operate roof bolter optional
- optional, not held operate scaler optional
- optional, not held operate shuttle car optional
- optional, not held operate a range of underground mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic pumps optional
- optional, not held operate shotcreter optional
- optional, not held operate tunnelling machine optional
- still to learn operate mining tools required
- optional, not held operate drilling equipment optional
- still to learn inspect heavy underground mining machinery required
- still to learn mechanics required
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an underground heavy equipment operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 communicate mine equipment information practise this
- 02 conduct inter-shift communication practise this
- 03 deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances 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 5 skills that carry over
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held make independent operating decisions skill
- already held troubleshoot skill
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held operate LHD optional
- optional, not held operate continuous miner optional
- optional, not held operate longwall mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate powered roof support optional
- optional, not held operate production drilling machine optional
- optional, not held operate roof bolter optional
- optional, not held operate scaler optional
- optional, not held operate shuttle car optional
- optional, not held operate a range of underground mining equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling equipment optional
- optional, not held operate drilling jumbo optional
- optional, not held operate hydraulic pumps optional
- optional, not held operate shotcreter optional
- optional, not held operate tunnelling machine optional
- optional, not held ensure compliance with safety legislation optional
15 held skills the underground heavy equipment operator 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 examine prospective blast area skill
- not needed by the target role explosives knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- 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 marksmanship knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide first aid skill
- 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
- not needed by the target role work ergonomically 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.
- still to learn mechanics required
Common questions about this move
Can a shotfirer become an underground heavy equipment operator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A shotfirer already covers 26% of what an underground heavy equipment operator is expected to do: 5 skills carry over, 5 of which the underground heavy equipment operator role treats as required.
What skills does a shotfirer need to become an underground heavy equipment operator?
9 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is communicate mine equipment information.
How hard is the move from shotfirer to underground heavy equipment operator?
Its learning distance is 72 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.