Why come back to an industry where there can be one good year and three bad. With the skilled work force having hemorrhaged so much since the first major bust in the mid-1980s, the Texas Engineering Extension Service believes it might have a partial answer to the talent drain in two rig training facilities. Training roustabouts After years of dormancy, the school reopened in 1998 with a Workforce Commission grant, only to quickly close again when oil prices began tumbling. The Workforce Commission is trying to decide whether to turn us loose again. Prock also has high hopes for industry involvement in adding skill courses to the agency's offshore training school in Galveston, which currently concentrates on safety courses.
Roustabouts are entry-level rig workers considered jacks of all trade.
For his part, Vrana appreciates the need for rig experience, but says he'd rather train green workers himself. All rights reserved.