Shortage of drillers means graduates earning big bucks

– Tai Poutini Polytechnic

There are not many industries where you can train for five months and potentially be earning $100,000 dollars only a year after graduating. But a shortage of experienced drillers means such salaries are being offered in order to keep drillers in the country.

President of the New Zealand Drillers Federation, Ian Haycock, says: “There is a real shortage of skilled drillers in New Zealand. The pay offered in other countries is higher so a huge number of Kiwi drillers go overseas.

“Kiwi drillers are really sought after - they’re seen as being on the cutting edge. “

Tai Poutini Polytechnic’s Certificate in Drilling was developed after companies in the drilling industry experienced a shortage of drillers’ assistants and approached the Polytechnic for help.

“The industry needs to future proof. We don’t want to find in 20 to 30 years we’ve lost all the skilled guys we have now,” Haycock says.

Tim Wilson, 29, was a professional chef when he first heard about the drillers’ assistant programme run by Tai Poutini Polytechnic. He completed the course last year and is now working as a trainee driller for the world’s largest drilling company, Boart Longyear.

He says, “The thought of working in the mining industry as a career never entered my mind. But I am thoroughly enjoying the work and the great thing is that there is a career attached to it.”

Tim says part of the appeal was that the programme only took five months and at the end of the work-based training was a full time job. One hundred per cent of those who did the course got work after they graduated.

“I was very focused to get the training done and get back to working. Because the course was only five months the decision to take the course and do just that was made much easier,” Wilson says.

Tai Poutini Polytechnic Civil and Mining programme leader Michele Cox says there are more jobs than graduates currently completing the programme.

“Soaring international mineral prices means there’s a huge industry demand. Anecdotal evidence shows they could do with another 30 drillers on the West Coast alone,” she says.

Most students will earn approximately $60,000 on their first job. If they are good at what they do, within a few years they can earn between $70,000 and $150,000.

The 20-week programme involves 14 weeks of study in Greymouth and six weeks training on a drilling rig. Students learn a range of ‘hands on’ skills, including truck driving, heavy plant operation, health and safety, basic welding, maintenance of drilling equipment and tools, and emergency care including work with helicopters.

Students could find themselves working in a variety of industries including gold, coal, oil, gas and geothermal excavation, water well drilling, rock anchor drilling, and assessing ground conditions for engineering purposes.

On completion of the course students will have gained their Tai Poutini Polytechnic Certificate in Drilling-Non-hydrocarbon, and sufficient skills to fast track their entry into the drilling industry. The next course will start on July 11th, 2011.