The Aberdeen Drilling Schools Kuwait operation started in 2005 and consists of full-time instructors, a management team, and dedicated training facility. The primary ADS focus in Kuwait is entry-level GCC drilling personnel requiring basic training in safety, rig skills, and drilling technology. In Kuwait, ADS has a close working relationship with another British company, the TQ Group, which liaises with regional governments, operators, and drilling contractors to increase the number of locally qualified oil industry personnel. Training facilities available to Aberdeen Drilling Schools in Kuwait include TQ’s ten-storey classroom and canteen facility and a full-sized drilling simulator for well control and drilling courses.

   
 
 

ADS drilling instructor Mohamed El-Trabily clarifies well control procedures using the Petroleum Training Center DrillSim 5000 rigfloor simulator in Ahmadi, Kuwait.

 
The dedicated ten story training facility utilized by Aberdeen Drilling Schools in Kuwait.
 
The initial program, which was commissioned and supported by the Kuwaiti Government and Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, got underway in 2006. It consisted of 3 months of English language training and 6 months of technical training, involving theoretical and practical training modules, plus work experience. On successful completion of the training program, the candidates (who were classed as “employees under training”) were guaranteed employment by a major drilling contractor in Kuwait. A second program provided both drilling and well servicing training for a major integrated service company. This program has provided trained Kuwaiti operators for the oil service industry. Four new programs have received government approval and are currently awaiting funding.
Such training programs have formed a significant part of the Kuwaiti Manpower Nationalisation project. Designed to simulate the “real work environment” for the trainees when they enter the workplace, the programs are ground-breaking in that this was the first group of Kuwaiti nationals to undergo a comprehensive training program preparing them for practical rigsite work. Building on the success of the pilot program, it is planned that other groups will follow, leading to a significant step-change in terms of technical skills and involvement in rigsite operations by Kuwaiti nationals, an area which has traditionally been dominated by non-Kuwaiti nationals.
 
Future Kuwaiti drilling personnel receive 6 months of classroom and supervised on-the-job training from Aberdeen Drilling Schools in Kuwait, plus another 3 months of English language training, prior to entering the oil patch.
   
During the last six months, ADS and TQ entered into a contract with another major international service company to conduct 4-week drilling and well servicing foundation courses on a monthly basis to newly hired engineers. This intensive program is currently completing its seventh intake, with trainee performance and course delivery exceeding expectations.  
 
Aberdeen Drilling Schools also conducts IADC WellCAP and IWCF well control training from its base in Kuwait.

Finally, ADS is in the process of initiating a number of entry- and mid-level training programs in Saudi Arabia for drilling personnel. The common theme is presenting ADS drilling expertise to people and companies at the right level, cost, and delivery that makes a visible difference in field performance.
  
   
For more information, please contact:
Stefan Heller (ADS Region Manager)
Tel (office): +965 22 32 20 37
Tel: (mobile): +965 97 20 69 83
Fax: +965 22 32 20 40
Email: sheller@aberdeen-drilling.com