Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Welder to boilermaker

A welder already meets 80% of what the boilermaker role asks for. The move turns on 2 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From welder
80 % overlap
Very strong match
To boilermaker
44 You already bring
2 Still to learn
61 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Short step

26.9/ 100

1 How much of what a boilermaker is expected to do is already part of a welder’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 boilermaker role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A boilermaker role treats 20 of its required skills as things a welder already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • apply arc welding techniques
  • apply precision metalworking techniques
  • ensure correct metal temperature
  • ensure equipment availability
  • flammable fluids
  • fuel gas

What stands in the way is 2 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 44 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A boilermaker role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a welder background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held operate oxy-fuel cutting torch working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held flammable fluids engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held handle gas cylinders handling and moving
  • already held select filler metal constructing
  • already held maintain mechatronic equipment working with machinery and specialised equipment
  • already held apply arc welding techniques constructing

All 44 carried skills, including the 20 the boilermaker role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 17 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn manufacturing of heating equipment required
  • optional, not held casting processes optional
  • optional, not held metal forming technologies optional
  • optional, not held rivet types optional
  • optional, not held riveting machine types optional
  • optional, not held types of drill press oils optional
02 information skills 1 required
  • still to learn record production data for quality control required
03 working with machinery and specialised equipment 5 supplementary
  • optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
  • optional, not held operate drill press optional
  • optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
  • optional, not held supply machine optional
  • optional, not held tend punch press optional
04 handling and moving 3 supplementary
  • optional, not held cast metal optional
  • optional, not held dispose of cutting waste material optional
  • optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
05 constructing 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held repair heating equipment optional
06 working with computers 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 2 entries a boilermaker role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 44 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held apply arc welding techniques skill
  • already held apply precision metalworking techniques skill
  • already held ensure correct metal temperature skill
  • already held ensure equipment availability skill
  • already held flammable fluids knowledge
  • already held fuel gas knowledge
  • already held handle gas cylinders skill
  • already held metal smoothing technologies knowledge
  • already held operate oxy-fuel cutting torch skill
  • already held operate precision measuring equipment skill
  • already held operate soldering equipment skill
  • already held operate welding equipment skill
  • already held perform test run skill
  • already held quality standards knowledge
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held select filler metal skill
  • already held smooth burred surfaces skill
  • already held troubleshoot skill
  • already held types of metal knowledge
  • already held wear appropriate protective gear skill
  • already held 3D printing process knowledge
  • already held automation technology knowledge
  • already held consult technical resources skill
  • already held cutting technologies knowledge
  • already held determine suitability of materials skill
  • already held ferrous metal processing knowledge
  • already held keep records of work progress skill
  • already held maintain mechatronic equipment skill
  • already held maintain robotic equipment skill
  • already held maintenance of printing machines knowledge
  • already held maintenance operations knowledge
  • already held manufacturing of steam generators knowledge
  • already held mechatronics knowledge
  • already held monitor gauge skill
  • already held operate 3D computer graphics software skill
  • already held operate automated process control skill
  • already held operate printing machinery skill
  • already held perform product testing skill
  • already held printing materials knowledge
  • already held printing on large scale machines knowledge
  • already held printing techniques knowledge
  • already held robotics knowledge
  • already held spot metal imperfections skill
  • already held types of metal manufacturing processes knowledge
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held casting processes optional
  • optional, not held cast metal optional
  • optional, not held dispose of cutting waste material optional
  • optional, not held metal forming technologies optional
  • optional, not held monitor automated machines optional
  • optional, not held operate drill press optional
  • optional, not held perform machine maintenance optional
  • optional, not held repair heating equipment optional
  • optional, not held rivet types optional
  • optional, not held riveting machine types optional
  • optional, not held set up the controller of a machine optional
  • optional, not held supply machine optional
  • optional, not held supply machine with appropriate tools optional
  • optional, not held tend punch press optional
  • optional, not held types of drill press oils optional
42 held skills the boilermaker role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role align components skill
  • not needed by the target role apply brazing techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role apply flux skill
  • not needed by the target role apply preliminary treatment to workpieces skill
  • not needed by the target role apply soldering techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role apply spot welding techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role apply thermite welding techniques skill
  • not needed by the target role assemble metal parts skill
  • not needed by the target role characteristics of products knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure correct gas pressure skill
  • not needed by the target role follow health and safety procedures in construction skill
  • not needed by the target role follow safety precautions in work practices skill
  • not needed by the target role handle fuels skill
  • not needed by the target role inspect construction supplies skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret 2D plans skill
  • not needed by the target role interpret 3D plans skill
  • not needed by the target role join metals skill
  • not needed by the target role manufacture of small metal parts knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mark processed workpiece skill
  • not needed by the target role mechanics of motor vehicles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role mechanics of vessels knowledge
  • not needed by the target role metal bending techniques knowledge
  • not needed by the target role metal thermal conductivity knowledge
  • not needed by the target role non-ferrous metal processing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role operate brazing equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role operate oxy-fuel welding torch skill
  • not needed by the target role operate oxygen cutting torch skill
  • not needed by the target role operate plasma cutting torch skill
  • not needed by the target role perform metal active gas welding skill
  • not needed by the target role perform metal inert gas welding skill
  • not needed by the target role perform minor repairs to equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role perform tungsten inert gas welding skill
  • not needed by the target role perform welding inspection skill
  • not needed by the target role prepare pieces for joining skill
  • not needed by the target role recognise signs of corrosion skill
  • not needed by the target role remove processed workpiece skill
  • not needed by the target role repair metal sheets skill
  • not needed by the target role shape sheet metal objects skill
  • not needed by the target role torch temperature for metal processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role use sheet metal shears skill

2 further entries not listed here

6 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn manufacturing of heating equipment required
  • optional, not held casting processes optional
  • optional, not held metal forming technologies optional
  • optional, not held rivet types optional
  • optional, not held riveting machine types optional
  • optional, not held types of drill press oils optional
Index

Other moves recorded from welder

Full index of moves from welder

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a welder become a boilermaker?

Yes, and it is an adjacent move. A welder already covers 80% of what a boilermaker is expected to do: 44 skills carry over, 20 of which the boilermaker role treats as required.

What skills does a welder need to become a boilermaker?

2 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is manufacturing of heating equipment.

How hard is the move from welder to boilermaker?

Its learning distance is 26.9 out of 100, which is the adjacent band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.