Specialties
Maritime Drilling School offers a 20 Day Pre Employment Floorman (Roughneck) Program for Land and Offshore Drilling Rigs. The School also offers Drilling Technology programs to the industry for Professional Development. MDS also delivers safety training relevant to the drilling and oilfield industry. Maritime Drilling Schools Limited is a Private Career College registered with Labour and Advanced Education The Province of Nova Scotia. This school is also Accredited with the International Association of Drilling Contractor's IADC. Maritime Drilling School has trained thousands of students from all around the world since its inception and continually sets its focus on quality training to meet the students needs for entering the drilling industry. The School is recognized by more than 100 drilling contractors from around the world. We are a firm believer our students out perform when it comes to knowledge and skill requirements for this industry. Our school maintains the Registration and Accreditations to be one of the best training schools in the industry. Meet the Business Owner
Business Owner
Maritime Drilling Schools Limited was founded in 2000 by Reg MacDonald, a man who earned his way from the kitchen of an offshore rig in 1976 to over 30 years of industry experience in land and offshore drilling. MacDonald has worked on every type of offshore and land rig made. Reg has also been involved in the commissioning of rigs for Nova Scotia's Offshore to building landrigs for Simmons Drilling in Alberta and is now one of the most elite International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) drilling instructors in all of Canada. Student Testimonials:
Hi Reg and Linda,
It’s been about a year now that the gf and I moved to Alberta. Thank you so much for your course and guidance, we could not have done it without you. After taking the course we moved to Calgary and stayed with a cousin for a little while until we got jobs and got our own place. Only took me a few business days to get my first job as a roughneck! When you have MDS on your resume and all your safety tickets it looks like your serious and you have taking initiative to start a new career. MDS really is the best tool to open doors out here. It really made me stand out in the interview. I interviewed Tuesday and on Thursday I had my first hard hat and coveralls. I am always going to remember my first day as a roughneck! What a great experience, if you make it through your first day and your first hitch, it’s a walk in the park after that boys. I love working the floor and throwing tongs, it’s a lot of fun, and will make you a lot stronger. I was able to catch on quickly what was going on and knew some lingo and key words. The guys were impressed how well I handled tongs. Go out back and get good and fast at it and you will get respect quickly. There are so many jobs that are associated with Oil and Gas it’s crazy. Don't be shy ask the service guys that come out to the rig what they do, if they like it, $$ etc. I went into service after 3 months on drilling rigs (Double and Super Single) and now make 120k a year and drive a brand new company truck with a gas card. I used my roughneck experience as a foundation or stepping stone to move to a service career that I find super interesting and specialize in now. Again because I have MDS on my resume and some experience on the rigs it only took me 10 days to lock down my 2nd job. I have worked all over Alberta, Sask, and northern BC. Paid back 18k of debt from University, and have 30k with this weeks pay for a down payment on a house with my gf, now my fiance, we got engaged in Banff. I worked my ass off and have been very disciplined and if you are willing to work hard dreams can come true. As for the wife, she got a job at a hotel here in Calgary to start. Someone noticed she was doing a good job and recruited her for another job. Now she has a really great career that she is very happy at and I am super proud of her. Boys really try and learn as much as you can from Reg he is a wealth of knowledge and its all gold what he teaches you. He really does give you all the tools you need to succeed, you just have to put the work in no excuses. Write down your own short and long term goals, be pro- active, stick to them, the sky is the limit. Thanks again Reg and Linda for your guidance,
Brett Beauchamp
Hey guys it's Travis,
Just to give you folks an update about what's going on right now in the rig scene. I ended up joining a service company. Small pay cut 10% of the work of being a Roughneck and plenty of career opportunities. The Company, have to hire 95 more people this year and an additional 1,500 next year. I'm going to be out in the field as an H2S Safety. Even though I love being a Roughneck I found that the job peaked as a push and you're always away from home. So many doors have opened since I left North Sydney and have nothing but thanks for you guys. If you have students that have any questions I am always free and happy to answer them just give them my e-mail. Like I said United Safety is hiring and all that the students need that they can't get at MDS is their PST (Petroleum Safety Training) which can be done online with Enform as well as a class 5 and drivers abstract. 24 years or older 3 or less demerits. Younger than 24 is 0 demerits. If you have students that are contacting you and have a hard time making it in on the drilling rigs then send them to United. I also recommend that if any student is coming to Alberta It's very important that they have a vehicle. I cannot stress it enough. Thanks Linda! Send my best to Reg and Carla. Hope all is well. Travis
Hello Linda,
I’m so happy to report that Mark landed an internship the Monday after he got back from Maritime Drilling School !! He started work in Texas one week later. I’m sure his resume with Maritime Drilling School training and the certifications he earned were critical to his success. I really enjoyed it up there. So did Mark. Beautiful country and the friendliest people I’ve ever met (and I’ve traveled all over the world). Teresa Rutledge
Dear Maritime Drilling School,
I just wanted to follow up and let you guys know that I found a job with Nabors Drilling in Pleasanton three days after graduation. I am flying out to San Antonio Texas soon for a drug test and physical. Afterward I am getting seven days of rig specific training and then It is off to work! When I was talking to them the only thing they asked me about was the school training and I think that is definitely what got me in the door. I just want to say thanks again and I hope to see you guys in the future! Sincerely,
Mark Wilson
Dear Linda,
I just started my second hitch today. I got hired over a quick phone interview and an online personality test. No doubt because of all the certificates and training that Reg and Carla provided me. It definitely showed that I have the initiative to make this a career and succeed. My orientation was in late April and I wasn't even positive I got hired so easily until I arrived to it. I'm working for a drilling company as a floorman, after one day as a pit hand, for a company called Sidewinder Drilling. I'm working two weeks on and two weeks off, but I can always work more at another rig and have gas paid for if I call H.R. or they call me first. They are fairly new, established in 2011, but growing quick so it's perfect for moving up the ladder quick if you can learn fast. We recently bought out a company called UDI, Union Drilling, and are trying to buy Nomac Drilling from Chesapeake Energy. The goal is to be international in a couple years and I hope to travel with new rigs. I'm working on a top drive triple with an iron roughneck. What's really cool is the rig walks itself to the next hole on the pad. I'm working just west of Laredo Texas in the Eagle Ford area. We drilled the three largest producing wells in it and are just about to finish four more right next to them. Rumor in the camp is we are going to move after this pad to a new operating company that will give us quite a bit in bonuses a month. Probably just speculation and hopes because we don't get them now but I'll buy into, especially if means moving away from three miles from the Texas-Mexico border to a place cooler! I hope everything up at the school is going well and everyone is good too. Thank you for all the knowledge you all have given me, it definitely shows when I'm asked about things out here! Dustin Stickney
Hello Linda,
After I did my MDS training in 2013, I didn't want to move to Alberta, so I worked here to pay off my MDS schooling and then took my HUET training, then I applied to Transocean & on my 19th birthday, I was doing my medical and was off to Newfoundland to a rig and new career. I was told my application was moved up because of the training I took; it showed I was Serious and the company was impressed with my certification. I am now in Mississippi on a rig headed back to Newfoundland. Thank you all & I am excited about my new career. Blake Boutilier
Reg and Team,
After contacting Patterson UTI, I drove to Wyoming where a job fair was being conducted. I was interviewed for position with Patterson UTI and was offered a job. I will be departing for Colorado within the next couple of weeks for rig specific training. I want to thank you all for your help. I will keep you posted once I am assigned to a rig. V/R, Jon
