Intertek and University of Texas at Austin’s Petroleum Extension (PETEX) offer new approach to Well Control Training
05 Apr 2017
Intertek, a Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide, and University of Texas at Austin’s Petroleum Extension (PETEX) have collaborated to offer a new, multi-faceted approach to well control education that is designed to produce safer, more efficient operations.The Performance Well Control program developed by Intertek has improved upon the traditional drilling well control curriculum by addressing on-the-job performance, and providing more collaborative learning opportunities than existing traditional classroom training sessions.
The program was developed to add various human factor elements as a way to address the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) recommendations following the Macondo well control incident, as well as a noticeable shift in client needs for training that is relevant to today’s oil and gas personnel as well as knowledge retention.
“Historically, in well control training courses, the emphasis has been placed solely on transferring information. However, teaching is not just about delivering information to students, it must also focus on the assurance that students have mastered the information being taught,” said Michael Arnold, General Manager Consulting and Training at Intertek. “With the Performance Well Control program adult-learning theory, performance improvement and human factors are combined to meet the challenges of well control training in the 21st century.”
The course adopts a contemporary learning approach and is organized visually to emphasize how people perform their jobs every day. As is key when considering human factors, students work together to solve real problems they encounter in the workplace and they focus on recognizing, interpreting and responding effectively to well control situations. This social context, with opportunities to share experiences and help each other, gives the course participants more control over their own learning.
The Performance Well Control training sessions are designed for many different personnel levels within the oil and gas industry. While numerous positions could benefit from attending well control training, the primary target student base includes: Assistant Drillers, Drillers, Toolpushers, superintendents, Drilling Foremen, Company Men and Engineers. Classes are offered either as open scheduled sessions or at a site designated by a client company and deliver the training to their own students. In addition, licensing options are now available to companies who want to deliver the Performance Well Control training themselves.
“The Performance Well Control program incorporates an excellent combination of technical training accomplished on simulators and through dynamic classroom interactions,” said Coy Wilcox, director of PETEX. “We improved the quality of the delivery of the training and course participants will walk away with extensive knowledge they did not have before.”
About Intertek
Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 42,000 people in more than 100 countries delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers’ operations and supply chains. Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently, with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.
www.intertek.com