Tunnel boring machine operator to scraper operator
A tunnel boring machine operator already meets 49% of what the scraper operator role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
53.7/ 100
1 How much of what a scraper operator is expected to do is already part of a tunnel boring machine operator’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 scraper operator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A scraper operator role treats 9 of its required skills as things a tunnel boring machine operator already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- drive mobile heavy construction equipment
- follow health and safety procedures in construction
- keep heavy construction equipment in good condition
- mechanical systems
- prevent damage to utility infrastructure
- react to events in time-critical environments
What stands in the way is 7 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 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A scraper operator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a tunnel boring machine operator background worth leading with.
- already held machinery load capacity engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held operate excavator working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition constructing
- already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
- already held prevent damage to utility infrastructure management skills
- already held mechanical systems engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 15 carried skills, including the 9 the scraper operator role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 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 dig soil mechanically required
- still to learn move soil required
- still to learn operate construction scraper required
- optional, not held operate bulldozer optional
- optional, not held operate grader optional
- optional, not held operate road roller optional
- optional, not held secure 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 inspect construction sites required
- optional, not held interpret 2D plans optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held interpret 3D plans optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- still to learn recognise the hazards of dangerous goods required
- optional, not held test soil load bearing capacity optional
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- still to learn mechanical tools required
- still to learn operate GPS systems required
- optional, not held sort waste optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a scraper operator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 dig soil mechanically practise this
- 02 inspect construction sites practise this
- 03 move soil 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 15 skills that carry over
- already held drive mobile heavy construction equipment skill
- already held follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
- already held keep heavy construction equipment in good condition skill
- already held mechanical systems knowledge
- already held prevent damage to utility infrastructure skill
- already held react to events in time-critical environments skill
- already held use safety equipment in construction skill
- already held work ergonomically skill
- already held work in a construction team skill
- already held electricity knowledge
- already held keep personal administration skill
- already held machinery load capacity knowledge
- already held operate excavator skill
- already held set up temporary construction site infrastructure skill
- already held transport construction supplies skill
13 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held interpret 2D plans optional
- optional, not held monitor stock level optional
- optional, not held operate bulldozer optional
- optional, not held operate grader optional
- optional, not held operate road roller optional
- optional, not held secure heavy construction equipment optional
- optional, not held test soil load bearing capacity optional
- optional, not held follow safety procedures when working at heights optional
- optional, not held interpret 3D plans optional
- optional, not held keep records of work progress optional
- optional, not held operate heavy construction machinery without supervision optional
- optional, not held perform minor repairs to equipment optional
- optional, not held sort waste optional
11 held skills the scraper operator role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role coordinate drilling skill
- not needed by the target role determine tunnel boring machine speed skill
- not needed by the target role drive tunnel boring machine skill
- not needed by the target role install tunnel segments skill
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor excavated material skill
- not needed by the target role monitor tunnel boring machine supplies skill
- not needed by the target role operate theodolite skill
- not needed by the target role switch tunnel boring machine modes skill
- not needed by the target role tend boring machine skill
- not needed by the target role tunnel boring machine console knowledge
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 mechanical tools required
Other moves recorded from tunnel boring machine operator
Common questions about this move
Can a tunnel boring machine operator become a scraper operator?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A tunnel boring machine operator already covers 49% of what a scraper operator is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 9 of which the scraper operator role treats as required.
What skills does a tunnel boring machine operator need to become a scraper operator?
7 required skills are missing, plus 13 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with machinery and specialised equipment. The single most important is dig soil mechanically.
How hard is the move from tunnel boring machine operator to scraper operator?
Its learning distance is 53.7 out of 100, which is the moderate 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.