Shunter to train driver
A shunter already meets 25% of what the train driver role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
76.7/ 100
1 How much of what a train driver is expected to do is already part of a shunter’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 train driver role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A train driver role treats 7 of its required skills as things a shunter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- check train engines
- control train movement
- physical characteristics of railways
- shunt inbound loads
- shunt outbound loads
- shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards
What stands in the way is 17 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A train driver role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a shunter background worth leading with.
- already held control train movement working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held train operating procedures services
- already held check train engines information skills
- already held shunt outbound loads working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held physical characteristics of railways natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 8 carried skills, including the 7 the train driver role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 30 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 follow signalling instructions required
- still to learn teach train driving principles required
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn stay alert required
- optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
- optional, not held work in a rail transport team optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- still to learn ensure trains run to schedule required
- still to learn monitor train schedules required
- still to learn prepare freight shipment reports required
- optional, not held analyse reports provided by passengers optional
- optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
- optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
- still to learn act with a high level of safety awareness required
- still to learn focus on passengers required
- optional, not held react calmly in stressful situations optional
- still to learn adjust weight of cargo to capacity of freight transport vehicles required
- still to learn mark differences in colours required
- still to learn handle stressful situations in the work place required
- still to learn tolerate sitting for long periods required
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
- optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
4 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a train driver role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ensure trains run to schedule practise this
- 02 act with a high level of safety awareness practise this
- 03 adjust weight of cargo to capacity of freight transport vehicles 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 8 skills that carry over
- already held check train engines skill
- already held control train movement skill
- already held physical characteristics of railways knowledge
- already held shunt inbound loads skill
- already held shunt outbound loads skill
- already held shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards skill
- already held train operating procedures knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
The 4 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn locomotive brake applications required
- still to learn track geometry required
- still to learn ensure maintenance of trains required
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse reports provided by passengers optional
- optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
- optional, not held observe freight shipment loaders optional
- optional, not held relay messages through radio and telephone systems optional
- optional, not held work in a rail transport team optional
- optional, not held act reliably optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
- optional, not held have computer literacy optional
- optional, not held listen actively optional
- optional, not held maintain updated professional knowledge optional
- optional, not held perform ICT troubleshooting optional
- optional, not held perform services in a flexible manner optional
- optional, not held react calmly in stressful situations optional
31 held skills the train driver role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role assess railway operations skill
- not needed by the target role assist in the movement of heavy loads skill
- not needed by the target role compare shipment contents with waybill skill
- not needed by the target role comply with railway safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role dangers of marshalling activity knowledge
- not needed by the target role deal with challenging work conditions skill
- not needed by the target role drive vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical wiring plans knowledge
- not needed by the target role enforce railway safety regulations skill
- not needed by the target role follow switching instructions in rail operations skill
- not needed by the target role keep written records of cargo skill
- not needed by the target role load animals for transportation skill
- not needed by the target role operate radio equipment skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway communication systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway control panels skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway switches skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role operate railway warning systems skill
- not needed by the target role operate switching locomotives skill
- not needed by the target role oversee operational safety on trains skill
- not needed by the target role perform maintenance on locomotives skill
- not needed by the target role perform rail track inspections skill
- not needed by the target role perform routine maintenance on railway engines skill
- not needed by the target role perform wagon coupling skill
- not needed by the target role principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role rail infrastructure knowledge
- not needed by the target role railway framework legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role read railway circuit plans skill
- not needed by the target role test the braking force of trains skill
- not needed by the target role use hand signal for transport procedures 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 locomotive brake applications required
- still to learn passenger transport regulations required
- still to learn track geometry required
- optional, not held customs regulations for passengers optional
- optional, not held freight transport methods optional
Common questions about this move
Can a shunter become a train driver?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A shunter already covers 25% of what a train driver is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 7 of which the train driver role treats as required.
What skills does a shunter need to become a train driver?
17 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 10 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is ensure trains run to schedule.
How hard is the move from shunter to train driver?
Its learning distance is 76.7 out of 100, which is the career change 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.