Steeplejack to construction painter
A steeplejack already meets 32% of what the construction painter role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
69.5/ 100
1 How much of what a construction painter is expected to do is already part of a steeplejack’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 construction painter role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A construction painter role treats 7 of its required skills as things a steeplejack already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- follow safety procedures when working at heights
- inspect construction supplies
- inspect paintwork
- paint surfaces
- use safety equipment in construction
What stands in the way is 14 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 13 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A construction painter role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a steeplejack background worth leading with.
- already held inspect paintwork information skills
- already held blast surface handling and moving
- already held paint surfaces constructing
- already held build scaffolding constructing
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure constructing
- already held inspect construction supplies information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the construction painter role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 28 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 clean painting equipment required
- still to learn snap chalk line required
- still to learn transport construction supplies required
- still to learn dispose of hazardous waste required
- still to learn dispose of non-hazardous waste required
- still to learn prepare surface for painting required
- still to learn sand between coats required
- optional, not held use sander optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held mix paint optional
- still to learn interpret 2D plans required
- still to learn interpret 3D plans required
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held process incoming construction supplies optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
- still to learn protect surfaces during construction work required
- still to learn remove paint required
- optional, not held install construction profiles optional
- optional, not held operate rust proofing spray gun optional
- optional, not held paint with a paint gun optional
- still to learn use measurement instruments required
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- still to learn work safely with chemicals required
- still to learn types of paint required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a construction painter role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 clean painting equipment practise this
- 02 interpret 2D plans practise this
- 03 protect surfaces during construction work 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held inspect construction supplies skill
- already held inspect paintwork skill
- already held paint surfaces skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held blast surface skill
- already held build scaffolding skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
- already held work in a construction team skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held install construction profiles optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held process incoming construction supplies optional
- optional, not held use sander optional
- optional, not held advise on construction materials optional
- optional, not held answer requests for quotation optional
- optional, not held calculate needs for construction supplies optional
- optional, not held maintain equipment optional
- optional, not held maintain work area cleanliness optional
- optional, not held mix paint optional
- optional, not held operate rust proofing spray gun optional
- optional, not held order construction supplies optional
- optional, not held paint with a paint gun optional
- optional, not held recognise signs of corrosion optional
20 held skills the construction painter role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role clean building facade skill
- not needed by the target role clean glass surfaces skill
- not needed by the target role climbing equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role construct working platform skill
- not needed by the target role handle equipment while suspended skill
- not needed by the target role inspect climbing equipment skill
- not needed by the target role inspect concrete structures skill
- not needed by the target role inspect insulation skill
- not needed by the target role inspect masonry work skill
- not needed by the target role inspect roofs skill
- not needed by the target role inspect scaffolding skill
- not needed by the target role inspect wind turbines skill
- not needed by the target role install insulation material skill
- not needed by the target role lay bricks skill
- not needed by the target role perform search and rescue missions skill
- not needed by the target role prune hedges and trees skill
- not needed by the target role risk assessment for window cleaning knowledge
- not needed by the target role set window skill
- not needed by the target role spot other climbers skill
- not needed by the target role work from suspended access cradle 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 types of paint required
Common questions about this move
Can a steeplejack become a construction painter?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A steeplejack already covers 32% of what a construction painter is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the construction painter role treats as required.
What skills does a steeplejack need to become a construction painter?
14 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by handling and moving. The single most important is clean painting equipment.
How hard is the move from steeplejack to construction painter?
Its learning distance is 69.5 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.