ACCELERATED ASSISTANT DRILLER TRAINING PROGRAM
By Dr Michael Gibson
This third section of the three updated Wellideas Drilling & Completion Training Sections shows how www.wellideas.co.uk is flexible enough to manage and deliver bespoke training programmes worldwide for a variety of clients. In this article, www.wellideas.co.uk describes how it managed and delivered a customized / bespoke training programme for a specialised Tender Assist Drilling Contractor for a multi-national group of young people so that they could become competent Assistant Drillers at the end of an 18-month period.
The delegates had to be introduced to drilling through a series of Classroom Programmes, Training Videos, E-Learning Modules, Exercises and Structured Offshore Visits where a variety of Competency Tasks were required to be carried out.
All material written and presented was based upon the standards inherent and contained within the following organisations: – IADC (including Well Cap / Well Sharp Well Control), API, SPE, Institute Francais du Petrole, Petex, Best Practices Forums, the Drilling Contractors Well Control Manual, IWCF and various other organisations. This short article covers those training subject areas which were covered – for the Classroom, E-Learning and Offshore.
Tender Assist Drilling is not perhaps as common as other forms of drilling, but, in Asia particularly, it is used quite extensively. A tender powers the derrick which is set on the platform as depicted in the schematics Offshore to East Malaysia and Indonesia.
The client’s (a Drilling Contractor based in Asia) requirements were challenging, as referenced above, particularly considering the time factor and to create the correct “blend” on Classroom Training, E-Learning Training and Offshore Competency Training.
An Overview Summary is shown below, where the Programme was split into 3 phases, each of 6 months. As can be seen, there were 3 lots of E-Learning, 3 sets of Offshore Competency Tasks, 3 lots of Classroom and Learning Review Sessions, 3 lots of Specific Classroom Drilling Sessions, 3 lots of Specific “Soft Skills” / Personal Development Topics and a Well Control Exercise at the end of the course.
Wellideas specialises in Classroom Training, E-Learning Module Provision and Supplementary Methods of Training such as through Internet-based learning and on-board drilling rigs / drill-ships worldwide. Wellideas personnel have also worked on Tender Assist Rigs throughout Asia, providing a variety of training. This article references the course of the above title where the course began with an Overview of the Course, where the Role of Optimised Drilling & Completion Practices, taking the delegates through equipment, its correct usage, maintenance, what is happening downhole and how drilling and completion practices can be optimised. The material also shows how all the subject areas are inter-related to maximise performance.
The classroom courses were held in Singapore and Bangkok, scheduled at 6-monthly intervals such that the delegates were able to be onshore rather than offshore. The E-Learning courses were written to specifically interface with the classroom courses. Delegates were introduction at the outset to General Governmental Regulations, Industry Regulations, API, IADC, Best Practices the Institute Francais du Petrole, various SPE Papers, Well Control (both IADC and IWCF), accompanying material such as that published by Petex and other industry journals and of course the Drilling Contractor’s Well Control Manual.
To supplement the written material, the following media were also used: –
- Techno media Well Control Training Videos
- Specialist Tender Videos
- Specialist Tender Assist Drilling Videos
- Specialist Service Company Videos (e.g., Drilling Fluids, Solids Control, Directional Drilling Equipment, Casing Running Equipment etc)
- “Capital” Equipment Videos (e.g., Derricks, Top Drives, Mud Pumps etc)
- Geological Training Videos
- Reservoir Understanding Training Videos
- Cementing Digital Media
- Many other “Workbook” Digital Media as required.
Very interestingly, the client fully supported “Soft Skills” / Personal Training, which included things like Teamwork, Attitude, Positivity, Creativity, Solution Determination, Dispute Resolution, Personability etc. (For these areas a qualified psychologist was used, who has extensive experience in the drilling industry).
Finally, at the end of the 18-month period, the delegates were placed in teams to work through the causes of the Deepwater Horizon / Macondo Blowout in the Gulf of Mexico – and what could have been done to prevent the Blowout.
Each delegate had to present their findings to Senior Management, where they were evaluated prior to graduating. In summary, this was an excellent example of creative thinking in terms of bespoke programme structure and a very successful training outcome. Everyone passed the course, and the former young delegates are progressing well in their careers.
Who is Dr Michael T. Gibson?
Dr Michael T. Gibson has 40 years in the Oilfield, working initially as a Drilling Engineer when he studied Mechanical and Offshore Engineering at Bachelor’s, Diploma and Master’s, Degree Level at Robert Gordon’s in Aberdeen under the expert tutelage of Professor Blythe McNaughton. He then went on to take a PHD over an 8-year period whilst working offshore as a Drilling Supervisor.
He began teaching / lecturing full-time 15 years ago in many parts of the world for Oil Companies, Drilling Contractors and Universities and has written the vast bulk of Wellideas’ material, ranging from Manuals, Pocket Handbooks, PowerPoints and Videos for the Classroom and Zoom Meetings, through to E-Learning Modules for distance learning.