Wood Group has opened a 16,000 square foot training facility in Kenedy, Texas, where educational programs for Eagle Ford shale workers will focus on health, safety, and environment (HSE) and technical competency. The center includes a 300-person capacity training room, an instrumentation and electrical (I&E) lab, a computer-based training (CBT) lab, and a board room. The facility also has an outside pad with a tank battery and an area with buried pipe for pipeline finding; both will be instrumental for hands-on training.

The center is operated by Wood Group PSN, which provides high-integrity services to design and construct facilities, optimize performance, maintain production, reduce operating costs, ensure asset integrity, and extend the operating life of oil & gas fields. It is this knowledge and expertise that Wood Group PSN will provide via a combination of classroom, hands-on and API-certified computer-based training.

“Wood Group is excited to provide this new service and facility in Kenedy,” said Mitch Fralick and John Glithero, co-presidents of Wood Group PSN Americas. “Through the use of dynamic curriculum and client-specific requests, Wood Group can help to ensure knowledgeable personnel and a safe environment for the region.”

The training curriculum levels range from basic production operations for entry-level personnel to the essentials of managing oil & gas contract obligations for experienced lease operators. HSE-specific classes include SafeLand, Department of Transportation operator qualification (DOT OQ), H2S training and defensive driving. The combination of structured, industry-proven processes and a strong focus on safety and regulatory compliance serves as the foundation for developing safe, competent workers for the Eagle Ford region.

Class instructors are oil & gas industry veterans with a minimum of 20 years of experience onshore and offshore, in the US or international. They are experienced in operations, engineering and major project management.