Colin Barden of Intertech Management trains new and veteran drillers through the Australian Drilling Industry Association (ADIA).He recently wrapped up training sessions on screens and gravel packs, and mud testing and techniques. We brought him on Drilling In-Site, episode 27, to talk about training, and his 50-year career in drilling.
Our talk goes into detail about filling the drilling career pipeline with new candidates, as well as how a candidate with the right aptitude could jump into the industry.
“The most important thing is to be keen, want to work, want to learn and show the interest that you want to get ahead,” he says.
Barden knows. He has worked in the United States, the Middle East and Australia, and seen potential new talent succeed in the industry from many perspectives.
“Now, irrespective of where you’ve been, if you can show that mentality and that you’re willing to learn, lots of drilling contractors will give you a start. I think, with the amount of training that we put into people in this industry, you want to make sure that you’re getting an average percentage of the right people in to start with. You can spend a lot of time and money training somebody, and it doesn’t work out. That’s sad for everybody — not only the employee, but the employer, the costs associated and everything.”
This episode covers topics like:
- Mineral exploration
- Water well drilling
- Drilling in Australia versus drilling in the United States
- Drilling safety standards in Australia versus the United States
- Drilling and training internationally
- Recruiting drilling talent in other industries like truck driving
- The age gap in drilling and other trades
Check out today’s episode to hear more. Watch the video here or listen to the audio version of our conversation at www.thedriller.com/insite-podcast. You can also find our show on Apple Podcasts. Search for Drilling In-Site, then hit Subscribe.
Working on an interesting project or have industry wisdom to share? Email verduscoj@bnpmedia.com to be considered for a guest spot on Drilling In-Site.
Resources
Email Colin Barden: colin.barden@intertech.com.au
Australian Drilling Industry Association: https://adia.com.au/about-us
