Mark your calendars!
The International Well Control Forum (IWCF) Annual General Meeting and Workshop is coming to Baku, Azerbaijan on 22 – 23 November 2023!
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to connect and learn with industry professionals.
Save the date and stay tuned for further updates.
Have questions? Contact us at membership@iwcf.org and keep an eye out through our social media for more updates.
IWCF is celebrating 30 years in operation providing well control training, assessment and certification programmes for the exploration and production sector of the oil and gas industry.
Zdenek Sehnal, the CEO, said, “A lot has happened over three decades and it’s great to reflect on this. We’re grateful to all our stakeholders and partners who have played a part in IWCF’s progress.”IWCF hosted an anniversary celebration in Montrose, Scotland. The event was attended by IWCF staff, present and past IWCF board members, consultants and special guests who played a significant role in the organisations progression over the years.
The celebration was an opportunity to hear about the establishment of the European Well Control FORUM (EWCF) and the International Well Control Forum (IWCF) and the significant events that shaped the strategic direction of the organisation to provide quality training for the industry.
The celebration allowed IWCF to reflect on their many years as a not for profit membership organisation. IWCF invited their longest-standing members, to share their recollections as members of IWCF.
Here is what the two longest-standing IWCF members, Aberdeen Drilling School and Well Control School, have said about their involvement with IWCF:
As a not for profit membership organisation established in 1992, any company or individual within the oil and gas industry with an interest in the continuing development of well control knowledge and skills is welcome to apply for membership.
If you are interested in becoming a member and would like more information, please click here to download IWCF membership information.
Each IWCF member is assigned to one of the regional Branches based on the member’s geographical location. Each Branch has a Chair and a Vice Chair. The IWCF Board is composed of the Branch Chairs. Members have the opportunity to attend regional branch meetings to discuss ideas, suggestions and issues related to well control and well control training. The Branch Chairs can then take feedback to the IWCF Board to help drive continuous improvement within the organisation.
The IWCF Board joined the company’s celebrations recently and attended a meeting in person at the Head office premises.
Here is what IWCF Board Chairperson, Jamie Wilson, had to say about the meeting.
“The IWCF Board members attended a meeting in Montrose in which they explored the IWCF services to our members and well control training candidates and measures for improving these to assure continuing delivery of value and assurance of maintaining IWCF’s high standards.”
Three decades have brought tremendous change globally, however, IWCF have remained focused on its vision – No risk to life, assets, or the natural environment through well control incidents.
By keeping focused on this vision, IWCF has been and continues to be adaptive to needs of the industry.
IWCF want to thank everyone who supported the company over its 30 years in operation.
To keep up to date with what is to come at IWCF and to read more about their 30th Anniversary, connect with them through their social media platforms.
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All at IWCF are deeply saddened by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. We offer our sincere condolences to the Royal Family and everyone mourning around the world.
To pay our respects on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, the IWCF Head Office will close on Monday 19 September 2022.
If you have an urgent query during this time, please call the out of hours service on +44 (0)1674 678120. This service will be available from 06.30 to 19.00 (BST).
The Australian Office will close on Thursday 22 September 2022 to mark Australia’s National Day of Mourning. During this time the UK Head Office will be open and the out of hours service will be available. Please call +44 (0)1674 678120 if you have an urgent enquiry during this time.
Calling all members! Save the date for our Annual General Meeting (AGM)!
The virtual event will be held on 23 November 2022 and will take place in webinar format. The webinar access will be available for every member.
Add the date to your diary today, and more information will follow in the coming months!
Please contact us at membership@iwcf.org if you have any questions.
We are delighted to announce the launch of a new Well Control and Pressure Control Calculations eLearning resource which is available for free on the IWCF website here.
Previously the website hosted three downloadable PDF documents related to drilling calculations. These PDFs consisted of more than 500 pages.
We worked to adapt this content into an online platform, making the content much more interactive and accessible for candidates.
The platform offers basic, awareness-level modules on the following topics.
The structure allows for targeted study, so that candidates can leave and return to the modules in their own time.
Although the platform aims to help candidates understand basic oilfield calculations, it is not a substitute for instructor-led training. It can be used as a useful resource to help candidates before they attend well control training.
We would like to thank IWCF’s UK Branch who funded this new resource. Clive Battisby, UK Branch Chairperson commented on the introduction of the new initiative.
“The UK branch are delighted to be able to fund and support this exciting new initiative that is available for free on the IWCF website. Well control calculations are a vital part of candidates’ learning and these modules will offer great benefits to not only users, but employers and the industry.
The modules can be accessed at any time to refresh knowledge, so can be incorporated easily into users on-going learning throughout their certification cycles.
I would encourage candidates to access the modules to see the variety of topics they cover and discover how the resource can be applied or incorporated into their roles.”
The free resource can be accessed on the IWCF website here.
Our 4th Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held in webinar format on Tuesday 23 November 2021 at 0800 hrs GMT.
The invite and link to book your place at the online event was sent to all members on 11 October 2021.
Please contact membership@iwcf.org if you have any questions.
COVID-19 changed how we operated, with the delivery of our Train the Trainer and Assessor Training courses impacted. We could no longer hold these courses face to face in global locations due to the global travel restrictions imposed from March 2020.
We had to quickly diversify and adapt our delivery methods to ensure we could continue to effectively deliver these courses and maintain competency standards for new instructor and assessors seeking accreditation.
Tracey Jayne Little who delivers our Train the Trainer course, has written a short blog explaining her experience of adapting the Train the Trainer course for the virtual world and the impact this has had on her training of instructors.
“I have been involved in the development and delivery of e-learning for the past 15 years; the events of the last 12 months have really pushed companies to look at alternatives to classroom-based learning.
Our Train the Trainer programme is very well-suited to virtual classroom (Zoom). Breakout rooms facilitate discussion and activities in small groups as learners are very much in control of their own learning. This is then strengthened by them writing their answers on a virtual whiteboard in breakout rooms and then sharing it in main classroom. This type of hands-on interactive activity embeds the learning. I have actually found it generates more discussion than in the real-life classroom, plus learners’ love being in control of the sharing!
I also have found the ‘chat’ function in Zoom is a huge teaching aid. Not only does it encourage quieter learners to ask questions privately, but I can also use it to privately message learners (when you see eyes down and you know the mobile phone has made an appearance!). Also, for those learners who may experience some difficulty in understanding real-time speed English but can read perfectly, I continually put key points in the ‘chat’ and write key points of every topic on a whiteboard, sharing it on chat-file share. I feel this really adds to the learning. The use of emojis echoes Smartphone technology – learners love them, and it lightens the lesson. I also use a WhatsApp group to support learners – easily accessible technology.
I absolutely love teaching by virtual classroom. I believe it can be a dynamic, inspirational, supportive and inspiring learning solution. The key is using all its functionality so that it truly stays student-centred and keeps the learners engaged. You have to make it mirror the real-life classroom such as possible with pre-class “virtual coffees” and putting learners into breakout rooms in breaks so they can build relationships.
I feel, based on learner feedback and results, that virtual classroom has enhanced the whole Train the Trainer learner experience. In line with good practice, the course was extended from three real-life classroom days to four on guidance from ILM (part of the City & Guilds Group) who also endorse this qualification globally as TJS International is an ILM global Recognised Provider. This creates more course time, shorter days with frequent breaks and increased learner support. This embeds the learning more fully as seen in the results since the use of virtual classroom. Learners do take advantage of the support time and stay behind at the end of class for 1-1 time in breakout rooms whereas in the real-life classroom, everyone gets their coat on!
I feel that Train the Trainer by virtual classroom offers a highly accessible, engaging learner journey with some added benefits for global training.”
Places are available on our Train the Trainer courses in August, September and October 2021. Click here for more information and the upcoming course dates.
Mr Zdenek Sehnal (pictured below) has informed the IWCF Board of his retirement from his role as IWCF Board Chairman.
Mr Sehnal has held the position of IWCF Board Chairman since 2016, while also representing the Norwegian Branch as Branch Chair. He has led the organisation through a period of substantial change, most recently navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduction of virtual training and assessments.
Mr Jamie Wilson, Vice Chair of the IWCF Board of Trustees will adopt the role of Acting Board Chair, effective immediately.
IWCF’s Board and administration would like to thank Mr Sehnal for his hard work and dedication as we’ve worked towards furthering our mission and vision.
Mr Wilson commented. “Zdenek assumed the Chairman’s role at a pivotal time of the IWCF’s direction. With his calm manner and diplomacy, coupled with very considerable personal effort, he enabled the Board to enjoy a period of effective and harmonised activity. Furthermore, he has been instrumental in leading the development of IWCF’s strategy to deliver well control training to a standard expected by the global industry.
The Board has requested Mr Sehnal to assume a consulting role with the IWCF Administration to continue assisting with the implementation of the strategy and support the CEO with various technical and training matters.
The IWCF translation team is responsible for coordinating and overseeing the translation of IWCF exam content into 16 languages. The team are working to embed a new translation process which aims to improve quality. This includes the development of an expanded translation team, the use of new technology to improve workflows and developing linguistic resources to assist translators and reviewers. One of our areas of responsibility is to help build and maintain glossaries for the most commonly used languages in IWCF centres. While not the only factor in maintaining quality, these glossaries are very important for preserving consistency across a complex field, which make them valuable resources for IWCF and our stakeholders.
The field is vast, but the glossaries are a select choice of terms which act as a point of reference, and they are focused on the terms that appear most often in assessments. These help the translators and reviewers make sure that the correct technical terms are used, especially when there is more than one possible option. If translators did not have access to them, it would be like a reconnaissance team trying to complete a mission in thick fog with no GPS or map – some would go north, others would go south, and every so often someone might get stuck in a bog or fall off a cliff – in the worst-case scenario of course!
We don’t expect IWCF translators to over-rely on a glossary in place of their own knowledge and experience. However, the terms have been specifically selected for inclusion to help maintain consistency and quality, therefore our job is to ensure adherence.
To date we have piloted the use of glossaries in 5 languages (French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Russian) and are working with the branches to continuously improve their content. However, there are a few other languages where it has made sense to draft glossaries based on the work taking place. For example, as part of the process to translate the drilling question bank into Azeri we have recorded how technical terms are used and these inform the translators as they work through the project.
The IWCF translation team wants to make sure that the glossary and its equivalent translated versions contain the most up-to-date and accurate terminology for each language. This can be a challenge, but by working with our branches we can harness the expert technical knowledge of our members to aid us in the task. We aim to extend this process to cover all languages we offer.
You are welcome to discuss the importance of glossaries at Branch level and can contact the Translation Team at Translation@iwcf.org for more information.
IWCF introduced virtual training and assessments in 2020 due to the impact that COVID-19 had upon face-to-face training. Piloting this alternative method of training enabled well control personnel to maintain competency despite travel restrictions and social distancing measures that have been in place.
To help us maintain and assure the high standards of quality and integrity expected at IWCF, we have been conducting extensive analysis of data throughout this period. This evaluation has demonstrated the efficacy of IWCF virtual classroom training and remote assessments.
This evidence-based approach has also been utilised to measure performance, monitor success and identify opportunities for improvement. One of the key findings from the analysis, supported by statistical evidence, show that there is no functional difference in candidate assessment results between those who completed an IWCF virtual classroom course versus IWCF face-to-face classroom training.
Accrediting and supporting our members to deliver virtual classroom training and assessment has allowed us to work towards our mission, while enabling our members to provide an accessible and cost-effective solution during the pandemic.
The results of the analysis performed allow us to continue to offer virtual training and assessments as an option for all IWCF accredited training providers, subject to compliance with IWCF guidelines and requirements.
Due to the successful implementation of this initiative, we will close the process for eCert extensions for both renewing and resit candidates from 31st March 2021.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
