NAIT aims to set the standard for drill rig operators

A new NAIT program that will serve as the first formal training and certification in North America for foundation drill rig operators could become an industry standard in Canada and abroad, the polytechnic said.

Starting in January 2018, Canada’s largest polytechnic will offer the two-year program to 30 students. However, that number is expected to swell as demands from industry for better trained and more skilled workers increases, Brian Pardell, NAIT’s associate of continuing education and workforce development, said Tuesday.

The initiative began back in 2014 when NAIT was approached by Kevin Sharp, then vice-president of the western Canadian Chapter of the Association of Drilled Shaft Contractors.

Sharp, who is also general manager of Northstar Sharp’s Foundation Specialist and who has spent 36 years in the construction and foundation drilling industry, said the philosophy behind the creation of the program was safety.

“If I’m a parent of someone who wants to go into an industry, I want to make sure they’re going into an industry that has some sort of certification tied into it and a commitment from a company and trade organization to make it safer,” he said.

The program will standardize operator abilities across the industry.

Theory components will be completed online so students can work while they’re studying.

Similar to an apprentice-journeyman relationship, an employer must sign off on having an experienced mentor teach students to employ proper techniques learned as part of the curriculum.

A final exam will take place at the conclusion of the program at NAIT’s Spruce Grove campus.