ONLINE CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS

The Colin Rice Online Drilling Certificate Programs are designed to provide the Geologist, the Safety Officer, the Driller and the Exploration Supervisor with the essential knowledge and skills to enable them to better manage an exploration drilling project. The certificate programs are not qualifications but are invaluable in enhancing and sharpening knowledge and skills.

Each of these roles has varying degrees of responsibility for aspects of quality, safety and productivity and so our certificate programs have been specifically designed to provide candidates with the necessary technical knowledge and skills to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities in terms of quality, safety and productivity.

The certificate program consists of 14 individual courses that are combined in different combinations that make up five distinct programs:

• Drilling Skills for Geologists Program

• Exploration Safety Officer Program

• Exploration Supervisor Program

• Directional Drilling Program

• Exploration Driller Program

Alternatively, there is the option to purchase individual stand-alone courses. Details of these can be found below.

All programs are offered through our online learning platform and so it is required that the candidate has access to a suitable electronic device and a stable internet connection.

All certificate programs are structured so that candidates must work through the courses in a defined order. Candidates can move through the course work at their own pace and revisit content however often they need to.

There are a number of self-assessments throughout the courses. These assessments require the candidate to apply the principles learned, to a drilling operation and therefore the candidate must have a good level of experience of drilling operations and must currently have access to an active drilling operation. Candidates who are successful in passing all of the required course assessments will receive a Certificate of Completion.

Candidates will not be able to print the course work, however, certain “Additional References” are included in a number of the courses and these resources are downloadable by candidates.

GEOLOGIST

  • Geologists rely on the samples produced from a drilling program for their information and so the quality and the representivity of the samples produced are of critical importance. It is essential therefore that the geologist has a good understanding of the many factors that can affect sample quality and representivity.

    Geologists also have a responsibility for safety aspects of a drilling operation and so the objective of this certificate program is to provide candidates with the knowledge and skills to allow them to better assist in effectively managing quality and safety aspects of an exploration drilling operation.

    Courses cover technical aspects, some economic aspects and some fundamental safety aspects andthrough this combination of courses, the candidate will develop a good understanding of the principles of and the processes involved in an exploration drilling operation.

    While the program is primarily designed to address the drilling competencies required by geologists, theprogram is also suitable for experienced geological technicians, project engineers and exploration consultants.

    This program consists of 7 courses.

    Course 1: Drilling fundamentals

    Course 2: Introduction to drilling methods

    Course 3: Common drilling calculations

    Course 4: The use of drilling fluids and foams in exploration drilling

    Course 5: Fundamentals of borehole surveying

    Course 6: Economic aspects of exploration drilling

    Course 7: Fundamentals of hazard identification and risk assessment

    Although this course deals with fundamental aspects of a drilling operation, it is essential that the candidate has had some exposure to a drilling operation before attempting this program.

  • AUD 530

EXPLORATION SUPERVISOR

  • The Supervisor is undoubtedly the most important person in the chain of command of a drilling operation and the actions of the Supervisor will have a significant impact on every aspect of the operation - most importantly health and safety performance. To be effective, the Supervisor must therefore have a detailed understanding of a wide range of aspects of a drilling operation.

    The objective of this program is to provide candidates with the necessary knowledge and skills to enable him/her to manage quality, safety and production aspects of an exploration drilling operation.

    This program is aimed at both experienced and less experienced candidates. The program is also considered essential for contract managers and project managers.

    Senior drillers who have been identified as potential Supervisors will also benefit from this program as will Geologists who wish to improve their technical knowledge.

    This program consists of 11 courses:

    Course 1: Drilling fundamentals

    Course 2: Introduction to drilling methods

    Course 3: Common drilling calculations

    Course 4: The use of drilling fluids and foams in exploration drilling

    Course 5: Fundamentals of borehole surveying

    Course 6: Economic aspects of exploration drilling

    Course 7: The fundamentals of hazard identification and risk assessment

    Course 10: Drilling engineering

    Course 11: Dual-tube reverse circulation drilling

    Course 12: Diamond core drilling techniques

    Course 14: Practical hazard identification

    The Drilling engineering course requires that delegates have a good level of mathematical ability and are able to apply and manipulate fairly complex formulae.

  • AUD 1060

EXPLORATION SAFETY OFFICER

  • Exploration drilling operations are extremely complex, involving high powered machinery operated by people in often difficult environments. Effective safety management therefore requires that the safety officer has a good understanding of the complexity of a drilling operation and of the many activities that are a part of the operation. Primarily, it is necessary that the safety officer has the ability to identify hazards on a drill site.

    The objective of this certificate program is therefore to provide candidates with the knowledge and skills to allow the candidate to more effectively identify hazards and so be more effective in managing safety on a drill site.

    The program is specifically designed so that the principles learned can be applied to any drilling method or drilling operation - diamond core drilling, rotary percussion drilling, dual-tube reverse circulation drilling and sonic drilling whether for exploration or production purposes.

    While the program is primarily designed to address the competencies required by safety officers, it is also suitable for engineers, safety managers, senior safety representatives and other safety professionals.

    This program consists of 3 courses.

    Course 1: Drilling fundamentals

    Course 2: Introduction to drilling methods

    Course 7: Fundamentals of hazard identification and risk assessment

    In order for a candidate to successfully complete this certificate it is essential that he / she is currently working on and has access to a drilling operation. It is recommended also that candidates have a good understanding of mechanical principles and the operation of common types of equipment used on drill sites.

  • AUD 330

DIRECTIONAL DRILLER

  • Directional drilling is beginning to play an increasingly important role in the exploration drilling industry and so this certificate program has been designed to provide candidates with the necessary knowledge of available directional drilling equipment and understanding of directional drilling concepts to allow them to correctly plan a directional borehole and select the most appropriate equipment to drill the borehole. The program focusses on theoretical aspects of directional drilling only, it is not intended as a qualification as a directional driller.

    This certificate program is designed for geologists, supervisors, engineers and senior drillers who need toimprove their level of understanding of directional drilling concepts so that they can accurately plan and execute a directional drilling operation.

    This program consists of 11 courses:

    Course 1: Drilling fundamentals

    Course 2: Introduction to drilling methods

    Course 3: Common drilling calculations

    Course 4: The use of drilling fluids and foams in exploration drilling

    Course 5: Fundamentals of borehole surveying

    Course 6: Economic aspects of exploration drilling

    Course 7: The fundamentals of hazard identification and risk assessment

    Course 10: Drilling Engineering

    Course 15: Fundamentals of directional drilling

    Course 16: Directional drilling equipment

    Course 17: Planning a directional borehole

    Course assessments require that candidates have a good level of experience and have access to a production or exploration drilling operation. Candidates who do not have access to an active drilling operation should not register for this program. This certificate program involves some relatively complex trigonometry and geometry and so it is essential that candidates have a good grasp of these concepts and an above average mathematical ability.

  • AUD 1000

EXPLORATION DRILLER

  • The Driller plays a critically important role in every exploration drilling project and the actions of the Driller will have a significant impact on every aspect of the operation. In many cases Driller training is limited to drill rig specific skills required to allow the Driller to operate at a particular mine or in a particular exploration jurisdiction. The focus is on practical skills to ensure that productivity is maximised. While a high level of practical expertise is essential, it is helpful that the Driller also has a good understanding of some theoretical aspects of drilling operations, particularly if the Driller wishes, in the future, to fill a supervisory role.

    This certificate program has been specifically designed to provide candidates with a range of skills and fundamental knowledge that are considered essential to enable him / her to be more effective in managing productivity and troubleshooting aspects of an exploration drilling operation.

    This program is aimed at experienced candidates who wish to deepen their understanding of the broader drilling industry but with particular emphasis on the exploration drilling industry.

    This program consists of 6 courses:

    1. Drilling fundamentals for Drillers

    2. Drilling methods for Drillers

    3. Common drilling calculations for Drillers

    4. The use of drilling fluids and foams for Drillers

    5. Dual-tube reverse circulation drilling techniques for Drillers

    6. Diamond core drilling techniques for Drillers

    The program includes some mathematics and discussions of a number of physical concepts and so to get maximum benefit from the program, delegates should have a good level of mathematical ability. However, while the program approaches mathematical concepts from a “first principles” basis, candidates are taught several techniques that will assist candidates with lesser mathematical ability.

  • AUD 530

STANDALONE COURSES

All of the courses included in the Certificate Programs are available to purchase individually if you would like to do so.

This is ideal if you would like to sample the coursework or if doing the full program does not suit your requirements.

Simply purchase the course you would like to do through PayPal by clicking on the links below each course detail.

COURSE 1: Drilling fundamentals

Drilling boreholes into the Earth's crust can be done in many different ways using different types of drill rig

and ancillary equipment. However, all drilling operations have a number of "essential features" that are

common to all drilling methods and techniques and an understanding of these features is fundamental.

This course examines these essential features and so is designed to deepen the candidate’s understanding

of basic drilling concepts. This course is an essential foundation upon which future courses will build.

Buy this course for AUD80 here

COURSE 2: Introduction to drilling methods

Frequently we hear the same drilling method described in different ways and this often creates significant

confusion. In order to eliminate this confusion, this course discusses a simple classification of common

drilling methods and techniques that are used in exploration and mining applications. For each method and

technique, an overview of the general principles is presented, and the surface and downhole equipment

and the limitations and applications of each method and technique are discussed.

Buy this course for AUD100 here

COURSE 3: Common drilling calculations

Frequently, a number of “in-hole” problems are blamed on “adverse geological conditions” when in fact

the problem was caused by a lack of understanding of basic drilling principles on the part of the contractor.

The flushing system is a critically important feature of every drilling operation and so an understanding of

some fundamentals of the flow of drilling fluid through the borehole is important.

In this course, candidates will learn how to carry out six basic calculations that will help the candidate to

better understand the fundamentals of fluid flow and how a lack of attention to these fundamental

principles can lead to a host of in-hole and other problems.

Buy this course for AUD60 here

COURSE 4: The use of drilling fluids and foams in exploration drilling

The drilling fluid has to perform a number of critical functions as it flows through the borehole, in this

course these functions and the important properties of the drilling fluid will be discussed. The course also

examines different types of drilling fluid additives and their applications, the design of a fluid systems and

the design of surface reticulation systems. The application of drilling foam to air flush drilling operations is

also discussed.

Buy this course for AUD50 here

COURSE 5: Fundamentals of borehole surveying

"A borehole is not a borehole unless it has been surveyed". Boreholes do not progress in straight lines –

they deviate at different rates depending upon a number of factors and it is essential that the path of the

borehole is accurately known.

This course examines some fundamental surveying concepts, the principles of operation of a range of

different survey tools and as well as the major sources of error in running a borehole survey. By the end of

this course candidates will be able to identify errors in a set of survey data and also how to correct the

errors so that the survey data more accurately represents the true path of the borehole.

Buy this course for AUD50 here

COURSE 6: Economic aspects of exploration drilling

Most mining companies use contractors to conduct their drilling programs and so whether you are a

geologist or a contractor, management of a drilling contract requires that you have a good understanding

of how a contract is structured and particularly of how the contractor makes profit.

This course examines the role of drilling in the mining industry and how a typical tender document is

constructed. The course also discusses the structure of different types of drilling contract and examines

how an understanding of the structure of a contract can be used to better manage production and cost

aspects of a drilling operation.

Buy this course for AUD40 here

COURSE 7: Fundamentals of hazard identification and risk assessment

Hazard Identification is the most critical part of the risk assessment process - poor or incomplete hazard

identification leads to poor risk assessment and therefore increased risk of injury or loss.

Many different techniques have been developed to assist in identifying hazards, but the very complex

nature of drilling operations make these techniques unsuitable. In this course candidates will be

introduced to the Component – Activity technique for identifying hazards and appropriate controls in

drilling operations.

Available soon for online purchase

COURSE 10: Drilling engineering

This course builds on some basic concepts that are a necessary foundation for the drilling methods and

techniques and directional drilling courses that follow. Circular motion and the fundamentals of the

strength of materials are covered as a basis for the examination of drill rod properties and design which

are essential for an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of different drilling techniques.

Buy this course for AUD140 here

COURSE 11: Dual-tube reverse circulation drilling techniques

In this course, we examine aspects of the drilling technique with particular reference to the efficiency and

accuracy of sampling. The characteristics of face sampling hammers and different designs of dual walled

drillpipe are discussed as well as different types of sampling systems. Throughout this course special

emphasis is placed on the identification of hazards associated with the drilling technique.

Buy this course for AUD125 here

COURSE 12: Diamond core drilling techniques

In this course, we examine aspects of the drilling technique with particular reference to the efficiency of a

coring operation and the accuracy and quality of the core samples produced. The characteristics of a range

of downhole tools are also discussed. Throughout this course special emphasis is placed on the

identification of hazards associated with the drilling technique.

Buy this course for AUD125 here

COURSE 14: Practical hazard identification

This course is an extension of the Fundamentals of Hazard Identification course and includes a detailed

analysis of hazards associated with drilling equipment and drilling activities.

Buy this course for AUD140 here

COURSE 15: Fundamentals of directional drilling

Directional drilling is playing and increasingly important role in exploration drilling but in many cases the

technology is incorrectly or poorly applied. In this course, we discuss some fundamental directional drilling

concepts so that the capabilities and limitations of different technologies can be more clearly understood.

This course is an essential foundation for the two specialist courses that follow.

Buy this course for AUD110 here

COURSE 16: Directional drilling equipment

The trajectory of a borehole can be altered in a number of ways each having different applications and

associated risks and costs. In this course we will examine the principles of operation of different types of

directional drilling equipment that are commonly available, their application and the risks associated with

each.

Buy this course for AUD110 here

COURSE 17: Planning a directional borehole

Many directional drilling operations fail because the objectives of the project were unrealistic or

unobtainable. Correct planning and design of the directional borehole is essential to the success of the

project and so in this course we will examine the process of borehole design using first principles. This

course requires that the candidate has a good understanding of trigonometry and geometry in order that the various calculations can be executed.

Buy this course for AUD110 here