Many major clients such as energy providers, water authorities and local councils are demanding that businesses can show their personnel are competent as part of the tender process. This encourages contractors to seek formal statements of competence for their personnel. The main way to do this is by gaining national qualifications against national standards.
At an industry level, the drilling industry has been quite strategic. All the tools to help companies achieve these qualifications are there, developed with industry and government funding.
The drilling industry has strong, industry-based qualifications in all sectors, including Trenchless Technology and HDD. Certificate III in Drilling Operations is the trade level qualification. Qualifications exist from Certificate II all the way to Advanced Diploma for the owner or business manager.
There’s a tried and true system in place to issue them, which is not complex or expensive, which has been used by other sectors of the industry, such as mineral exploration, for some years.
Companies have the assurance of an external, nationally-authorised, regulated industry body that understands drilling to assess training outcomes and issue the qualifications.
The Australian Drilling Industry Training Committee (ADITC) uses strong quality assurance processes to ensure that qualifications issued are rigorous and will stand up to the requirements of contract principals and to audit. Assessment can recognise and value in-company training and experience to add to or form a qualification for experienced personnel.
The ADITC has developed up-to-date industry-based structured training material in plain English with content targeted at Trenchless Technology and HDD professionals, which allows companies to train new personnel using industry-specific material on site on their own equipment.
Costs are known, predictable and inexpensive. The ADITC is a not-for-profit industry body, focused on providing affordable and authoritative service to the industry.
Most drilling contractors agree that an increase in the range of training and skilled personnel in the industry is a good thing. Recognising the skills practitioners have, and training to a recognisable set of standards, also gives employees a sense of pride and a feeling that they are in an industry that is here to stay, with a recognisable and valuable set of skills.
The ADITC exists to improve the skills and professionalism of the industry – within the industry, in the eyes of contract principals, in insurers’ eyes, and in public perception. The ASTT is a member organisation, along with all drilling associations in all drilling sectors (oil and gas, water well, mineral exploration, environmental drilling and foundation).
The ADITC maintains a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), which meets very rigorous industry and government standards to provide training and assessment services to the drilling industry across all sectors and for all qualifications, including Trenchless Technology and HDD, within and outside Australia.