Junior roles everywhere in oilpatch
Firms look to fill entry-level positions
Cody Smith joined the workforce shortly after leaving high school. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his studies, he simply hadn’t found something he was passionate about.
Smith, 19, had worked in road construction during summers while in school and thought civil engineering was in his future, but a single semester in college taught him otherwise. “I found it a bit ‘plain Jane,’” he says. “I wanted something that would bring a different challenge every day.”
His mother, who works for an oil and gas company, suggested he give the sector a try. Now, Smith is a fulltime stud roughneck with Savanna Energy Services, a drilling and service rig company that operates in Canada, the U.S. and Australia. He travels across Alberta and Saskatchewan as part of a service crew that ensures the continuous flow of oil at producing wells.
Laura Koronko, Savanna’s diversity co-ordinator, says there are two entry-level streams at the company — well drilling and well servicing. Those that stick it out for the long term can rise quickly in their career, reaching rig manager in as little as four years.
“The industry is extremely competitive and some workers move on after only a short time, so we’re always looking for people to join at the entry level and advance through the ranks.”
Koronko works with new Canadians, women, and aboriginals to encourage a diverse group of young people to join the Savanna team. The company’s aboriginal recruitment strategy includes staging three-day onsite programs in partnership with First Nation groups to give youth a feel for what to expect when they walk onto a rig, she says.
Being a field worker in the oil and gas industry is a good entry-level position with plenty of opportunity for advancement and onthe-job training says Carla Campbell-Ott, executive director with the Petroleum Human Resources Council, a division of Enform.
Drilling and service rig workers assist with rig setup, take down, and cleanup. Hourly wages are recommended by the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, with drilling crew base wages ranging from $27 for leasehands to $42.20 for drillers. Service rig trainees start at $22 and increase to $33 for rig operators.
Entry-level positions also exist with pipeline companies and seismic contractors, adds Campbell-Ott. In the pipeline sector this includes pre-construction workers who clear rights of way, construction labourers, and post-construction workers who help to return areas to their natural state. In the seismic category, helpers and labourers clear lines using chainsaws, mulchers and bush hogs.
Regardless of which category is chosen, all entry positions require a high school diploma, clean driver’s licence, clean drug and alcohol screening, and the ability to do physical work. Most of these jobs also require health and safety certification. Health and safety training is typically paid for by employers once a person is hired, says Campbell-Ott.
While industry growth is spurring the need to hire dedicated entry-level workers, turnover is also a factor.
“Turnover in petroleum serving, drilling and seismic is high in the first year because of the nature of the work,” says Campbell-Ott. “Some workers become discouraged when asked to clean a site and pick stones. They are also away from home, dealing with extreme weather, and in a noisy, dirty environment.”