Advice Part 2: Alternatives to Maritime Drilling Schools

During my training session we had people from all over...from the US, Europe, Far East and Canada. When we got to talking and the reasons for ending up in North Sydney for the 20 day MDS training, most of us agreed that we didn't see many alternative schools offering what MDS offers. But after completing the course, I decided to do a bit more in depth research and find out if that was really true.

You see most of us got blindsided by the sheer amount of certifications we would receive at the end of the 20 days of training. There is a total of 12 certificates which look good on a resume, no doubt, but at the end of the day are all of these certificates really needed to get jobs in oil and gas? I took it upon myself to find out. And my conclusions were interesting to say the least.

The most important certificates offered by Maritime Drilling Schools are those accredited by IADC or provided by third party training companies like Enform (the brilliant Terry did our H2S training and he is employed by Enform out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada) or St. John Ambulance (even though it is geared more towards everyday First Aid it is still good to have on the resume). To summarize, these are the most important certificates offered by MDS:

• IADC WellCAP
• IADC HSE RigPASS
• Enform H2S Alive
• St. John Ambulance First Aid & CPR

What about the other 8 certificates? Well...unfortunately they are not really geared towards the oil and gas industry (except the Pre-Employment Floorman Certificate). This is because Carla, who does the training, has zero experience working in the oil patch. She told us her experience lies in the construction industry...go figure. Good on you to hire a competent person (wink wink, nudge nudge) Reggie!

So really, there is no point in training at MDS. You can do the training courses above elsewhere and save a bunch of money in the process. Here is a list of schools offering the 4 certificate courses:

1. Aberdeen Drilling Schools
2. Petroed
3. IWCF Canada
4. Petrofac Training
5. PTTCO Bangkok Thailand
6. Atlantic Petroleum Training College
7. Murchison Drilling School
8. Canadian Drilling School
9. Malaga Drilling School

So if you want to get training remember this: YOU ONLY NEED THE 4 CERTIFICATES LISTED ABOVE (THE FIRST AID & CPR COURSE IS OPTIONAL). No need for more. There are also guys getting jobs at entry-level positions without any certifications, but I am a firm believer that a bit of training goes a long way...especially if you want to climb the ladder and move up on the rig (as opposed to working as a Roughneck for the rest of your life).

Finally, if you are working in the oil and gas industry and want to get promoted, I suggest you also complete the IWCF drilling course (supervisory level) as it will increase your chances of getting a Driller position with one of the big companies. The above schools offer IWCF training. And if money is no object and further training is of paramount importance, it wouldn't hurt to invest in the WellCAP Plus course from IADC...it also looks pretty good on a resume.

TO SUM UP: The 4 courses above will cost, in total, less than $1000 and take a matter of few days to complete. Trust me, the time and money saved are worth it. There is nothing that Carla can teach that makes it worth to stick around for another 2 weeks in North Sydney (unless you like to inflict pain on yourself).

If I could go back in time knowing what I know today, I would have done all the courses elsewhere.