Train driver to occupational railway instructor
A train driver already meets 35% of what the occupational railway instructor role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.6/ 100
1 How much of what an occupational railway instructor is expected to do is already part of a train driver’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 occupational railway instructor role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An occupational railway instructor role treats 7 of its required skills as things a train driver already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- control train movement
- locomotive brake applications
- mechanics of trains
- passenger transport regulations
- physical characteristics of railways
- teach train driving principles
What stands in the way is 12 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. An occupational railway instructor role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a train driver background worth leading with.
- already held control train movement working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held teach train driving principles communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held track geometry natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
- already held train operating procedures services
- already held locomotive brake applications engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held check train engines information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the occupational railway instructor role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 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 adapt teaching to student's capabilities required
- still to learn apply intercultural teaching strategies required
- still to learn apply teaching strategies required
- still to learn assist students in their learning required
- still to learn give constructive feedback required
- still to learn prepare lesson content required
- optional, not held provide lesson materials optional
- still to learn adapt training to labour market required
- still to learn monitor developments in field of expertise required
- still to learn assess students required
- optional, not held facilitate teamwork between students optional
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held perform classroom management optional
- still to learn health and safety measures in transportation required
- optional, not held tram network optional
- optional, not held types of trams optional
- optional, not held mechanical composition of trams optional
- still to learn guarantee students' safety required
- optional, not held interpret tramway traffic signs optional
- optional, not held interpret traffic light signals used in tramway infrastructure optional
- still to learn curriculum objectives required
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an occupational railway instructor role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 adapt teaching to student's capabilities practise this
- 02 adapt training to labour market practise this
- 03 apply intercultural teaching strategies 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 control train movement skill
- already held locomotive brake applications knowledge
- already held mechanics of trains knowledge
- already held passenger transport regulations knowledge
- already held physical characteristics of railways knowledge
- already held teach train driving principles skill
- already held train operating procedures knowledge
- already held check train engines skill
- already held customs regulations for passengers knowledge
- already held ensure maintenance of trains skill
- already held follow signalling instructions skill
- already held freight transport methods knowledge
- already held track geometry knowledge
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held drive trams optional
- optional, not held operate tram controls optional
- optional, not held practice emergency stops optional
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held work with virtual learning environments optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held drive trams optional
- optional, not held facilitate teamwork between students optional
- optional, not held interpret tramway traffic signs optional
- optional, not held manage resources for educational purposes optional
- optional, not held operate tram controls optional
- optional, not held tram network optional
- optional, not held types of trams optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- optional, not held interpret traffic light signals used in tramway infrastructure optional
- optional, not held mechanical composition of trams optional
- optional, not held perform classroom management optional
- optional, not held practice emergency stops optional
- optional, not held provide lesson materials optional
- optional, not held work with virtual learning environments optional
25 held skills the occupational railway instructor role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role act with a high level of safety awareness skill
- not needed by the target role adjust weight of cargo to capacity of freight transport vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role analyse reports provided by passengers skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role ensure trains run to schedule skill
- not needed by the target role focus on passengers skill
- not needed by the target role handle stressful situations in the work place skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role listen actively skill
- not needed by the target role maintain updated professional knowledge skill
- not needed by the target role mark differences in colours skill
- not needed by the target role monitor train schedules skill
- not needed by the target role observe freight shipment loaders skill
- not needed by the target role perform ICT troubleshooting skill
- not needed by the target role perform services in a flexible manner skill
- not needed by the target role prepare freight shipment reports skill
- not needed by the target role react calmly in stressful situations skill
- not needed by the target role relay messages through radio and telephone systems skill
- not needed by the target role shunt inbound loads skill
- not needed by the target role shunt outbound loads skill
- not needed by the target role shunt rolling stock in marshalling yards skill
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
- not needed by the target role tolerate sitting for long periods skill
- not needed by the target role work in a rail transport team skill
7 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 curriculum objectives required
- still to learn health and safety measures in transportation required
- optional, not held customer service optional
- optional, not held tram network optional
- optional, not held types of trams optional
- optional, not held assessment processes optional
- optional, not held mechanical composition of trams optional
Common questions about this move
Can a train driver become an occupational railway instructor?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A train driver already covers 35% of what an occupational railway instructor is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the occupational railway instructor role treats as required.
What skills does a train driver need to become an occupational railway instructor?
12 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is adapt teaching to student's capabilities.
How hard is the move from train driver to occupational railway instructor?
Its learning distance is 65.6 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.