Roustabout Drilling Technician (RigOne)

The Roustabout Drilling Technician (RigOne) Program at Houston Community College is a fast-track training program designed by drilling contractors. This 12-week program consists of three non-credit courses:

• Employee Success in Energy (4 weeks, 64 hours)
• Basic Mechanical Skills for Energy (4 weeks, 64 hours)
• Drilling (4 weeks, 64 hours)

The RRoustabout Drilling Technician (RigOne) Program curriculum is aligned with the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) profiles. In addition, trainees earn several industry credentials and certificates. Upon successful completion of the program, trainees receive a Marketable Skills Achievement award from Houston Community College and an invitation to the exclusive Roustabout Drilling Technician (RigOne) Career Fair.

HCC is constructing a Safety and Skills Training Laboratory on their Northeast Campus. This training lab platform, called the RigOne Facility, replicates the essential components of the rig work environment for new hires (Offshore Roustabouts/Onshore Roughnecks). Students practice hands-on skills on the RigOne Safety and Skills Training Laboratory during the last 128 hours of the program. This provides our students with an advantage over other programs; we refer to this advantage as the RigOne Advantage.

 The RigOne Safety and Skills Training Laboratory includes:

• Multiple level deck areas for trainees to learn safe skills in pipe and cargo handling as well as personnel transfer while working around cranes, forklifts, and air tuggers.
• Dedicated areas for skills including material handling, tank cleaning, confined space entry, routine maintenance, and hand tool skills.
• General rig-based safety skills such as basic first aid, firefighting, station bills and muster, and lock-out/ tag-out.

The Rig Safety and Skills Training Laboratory is more than just the usual training of new hires. It is an experience! Trainees confront real-life situations requiring aptitude, knowledge, and skills on a daily basis. 

While strategies and programs for induction and orientation training abound, three historical facts have changed very little:

Retention: Newly hired employees still abandon their drilling jobs at a high rate.

Injury: IADC Statistics show that nearly 40% of rig-based accidents resulting in injury happen with crew members in their first 180 days of work.

Growth: Increased rig utilization and new construction demonstrate that the requirement for new personnel is not just numbers; it is also the need for quality personnel. The “new crew” must not only perform basic duties safely, but must also have the skills and abilities to be promoted and grow within the company.

Nature of the Work

A Roustabout ensures the safe and proper rigging and slinging of loads lifted and moved by an offshore unit’s deck cranes and other lifting equipment. During non-crane operational modes, a Roustabout uses hand and power tools to perform maintenance and repairs to drilling rig equipment and systems and carries out general cleaning and other manual labor tasks as assigned and directed.

Employment Projections

As of May 2016, more than 22,840 Roustabouts were employed in Texas. Job growth is expected to be nearly 8,520 through 2018. The average hourly wage for a Roustabout in Houston is $18.57 (Bureau of Labor and Statistics, May 2016) the average salary for an entry- level offshore Roustabout is $ 51,000.

Before enrolling in the RigOne Program, applicants must attend a free two-hour information session on Oil & Gas Careers. During the session, applicants learn why HCC and the drilling contractors partnered to build this program, how to apply for the program, and how to register for classes.

ENER 1040 - CPR

ENER 1030-ENER 1040

PTRT 1003 - ENER 1030 & ENER 1040