Steeplejack to tower crane operator
A steeplejack already meets 32% of what the tower crane operator role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.
64.7/ 100
1 How much of what a tower crane operator 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 tower crane operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A tower crane operator role treats 5 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
- use safety equipment in construction
- work ergonomically
- work in a construction team
What stands in the way is 10 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 tower crane operator 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 set up temporary construction site infrastructure constructing
- already held work in a construction team communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use safety equipment in construction assisting and caring
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights assisting and caring
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction assisting and caring
- already held keep personal administration information skills
All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the tower crane operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 9 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 inspect construction sites required
- still to learn interpret 2D plans required
- still to learn interpret 3D plans required
- still to learn secure heavy construction equipment required
- still to learn operate tower crane required
- optional, not held guide operation of heavy construction equipment optional
- optional, not held operate heavy construction machinery without supervision optional
- optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
- still to learn mechanical systems required
- still to learn mechanical tools required
- optional, not held electricity optional
- still to learn keep heavy construction equipment in good condition required
- optional, not held set up tower crane optional
- still to learn react to events in time-critical environments required
- still to learn crane load charts required
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a tower crane operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 crane load charts study this
- 02 inspect construction sites practise this
- 03 interpret 2D plans 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 follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held follow safety procedures when working at heights skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work in a construction team skill
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held keep records of work progress skill
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held rig loads optional
- optional, not held test soil load bearing capacity optional
- optional, not held use remote control equipment optional
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held guide operation of heavy construction equipment optional
- optional, not held test soil load bearing capacity optional
- optional, not held transport construction supplies optional
- optional, not held electricity optional
- optional, not held operate heavy construction machinery without supervision optional
- optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
- optional, not held rig loads optional
- optional, not held set up tower crane optional
- optional, not held use remote control equipment optional
25 held skills the tower crane operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role blast surface skill
- not needed by the target role build scaffolding skill
- 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 construction supplies 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 paintwork 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 paint surfaces 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
4 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 crane load charts required
- still to learn mechanical systems required
- still to learn mechanical tools required
- optional, not held electricity optional
Common questions about this move
Can a steeplejack become a tower crane operator?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A steeplejack already covers 32% of what a tower crane operator is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 5 of which the tower crane operator role treats as required.
What skills does a steeplejack need to become a tower crane operator?
10 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is crane load charts.
How hard is the move from steeplejack to tower crane operator?
Its learning distance is 64.7 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.