MHC News

Second year classes began for 15 rig techs on April 12 and an intake of first year students will start in May. A third year may be added in the fall or early 2011, depending on industry demand. Rig techs are required to work on-site for 1,500 hours prior to attending each four-week session of classroom training.

 

“The demand for this training is industry-driven,” says program coordinator Cal Jobling. ”Industry is looking to employ a more standardized labour pool that can work within government and corporate regulations.”

 

With this training, apprentices learn everything from proper equipment care and safe work procedures to the geological history of Western Canada’s sedimentary basin and how to deal with difficult drilling scenarios.

 

While other rig technician programs are offered in the central Alberta corridor through NAIT, SAIT and Red Deer College, the program at MHC services a large area with students from southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and British Columbia. The college has also helped launch a similar program in Estevan, Saskatchewan and is looking to expand its reach into northern Montana.

 

According to Jobling, Medicine Hat’s south central location, good transportation routes, and history of oil and gas exploration are big advantages in drawing rig techs to MHC.

 

Local industry support is another important advantage. The college worked closely with the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors to launch the Brooks program in 2005 and is grateful for the continued support of its members including local drilling companies like Ensign, Precision, Trinidad, Akita, and Trailblazer. Donations of resources, equipment and expertise are key factors in the program’s success and Jobling hopes that additional industry support will help expand training opportunities in the future.

 

The Rig Technician program is located at MHC’s Kipling Street Campus which was once home to the Power Engineering Technology program.

 

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For more information, please contact:

 

Cal Jobling, Rig Technician Program Coordinator

Department of Trades

Phone: (403) 878-0420

E-mail: cjobling@mhc.ab.ca