Handsignaller Course: How to Kickstart Your Career
For many young people, a stable job is the most desirable career path in the current economic conditions. Glamorous office jobs in media, business and finance were the first impacted by each economic crisis. However, jobs in the rail industry of Australia offer the promise of stability and good pay. So, are you interested in becoming a handsignaller in NSW or Victoria? Then we encourage you to browse the NSW Handsignaller Course and Victoria Handsignaller Course on our website.
What Can You Expect after Taking a Handsignaller Course?
Before we start discussing the CERT Training courses for hand signaller jobs, here are a few details of the career path you may expect to build. The main duties of a hand signaller in NSW and Victoria are:
- To determine the location of trains by looking at electric indicator boards
- To read and interpret movement orders and timetables in order to monitor the movement of trains
- To receive information on alterations to train movements
- To use screen-based equipment to monitor the locations of trains and the status if signalling devices and equipment
- Sometimes, to supervise shunting operations
- Sometimes, to operate railway turntables in order to change the direction of trains.
The average annual salary of a handsignaller is AUD 70,000 and may grow from year to year. Also by taking further specialisation courses, you may qualify for better-paying jobs, such as:
- Network controller
- Train controller
- Train driver.
How to Kickstart Your Handsignaller Career with CERT Courses
CERT offers nationally recognised courses for a wide range of jobs in the rail industry. If you want to become a handsignaller, here are the courses we recommend:
For NSW
Before you enrol for a handsignaller course in NSW you must first complete:
- the RISI course for Safety Access Rail Corridor,
- the ARTC National Track Safety Awareness (NTSA) course.
In NSW, CERT offers the Handsignaller course as combined level 1 & level 2. The course is delivered over 3 days in the face to face workshops. Afterwards, the assessment will include:
- test of the theoretical knowledge
- practical test.
Please note that the assessment will be conducted by the Transport for NSW Training College if your job will be for the Transport for NSW Network.
For Victoria
A handsignaller in Victoria must complete the lookout and handsignaller combined course. These two courses represent the equivalent of the NSW Handsignaller course level 1 & 2.
However, before you enrol in this course, you must first complete the Level 1 Train Track Safety Awareness course. Upon completion, you will be able to:
- identify and access a safe place
- identify and report unsafe situations within the rail environment
- identify electrical safety hazards
- recognise a danger zone.
After you pass the assessment exam, you can enrol in the ARTC TA20 Handsignaller course. After passing the assessment exam (both theoretical and practical), you will receive a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment and the ARTC Certificate of Achievement for handsignaller jobs.
Enrol in CERT Training now and kick start your career in rail infrastructure.
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