International Association of Drilling Contractors Holds First Direct Employer Workshop at Ford Motor Company’s Cleveland, Ohio (Brook Park), Facility

HOUSTON--The International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) announced it is working with Ford Motor Company to hold the first IADC Career Connection Direct Employer Workshop on 8 June 2007 at Ford’s Brook Park, Ohio, facility.

With more than 100 new offshore rigs and several hundred land units under construction, the drilling contractor work force is stretched thin and personnel are at a premium. To find the rig employees to operate and maintain the high-tech rigs of today and tomorrow, the industry looked to new markets to attract skilled and semi-skilled workers. Ford Motor Company announced on 7 May 2007 the closing of their Casting Plant outside of Cleveland. In response, IADC contacted Ford to collaborate on a Direct Employer Workshop with the goal of finding new careers for their skilled workers facing immediate job losses.

This Direct Employer Workshop will include four of the largest and prominent international drilling contractor companies. At the event, HR managers will meet job seekers and discuss hundreds of positions now open.

According to Dr. Lee Hunt, IADC president, “Working with Ford Motor Company is the first step to address non-traditional sources to attract skilled workers to our industry. We thank Ford Motor Company for this opportunity.”

The IADC Career Connection program was created to assist the drilling contractor industry develop non-traditional sources of recruiting in Europe and North America to help find the future work force needed to man the world’s drilling rigs. This program will be conducted through Direct Employer Workshops, Traveling Job Fairs and Returning Military Campaign.

IADC is not taking on a recruiting role but will act as a liaison between its member companies and potential employees in our search for talented workers. Each company participating in IADC Career Connection is responsible for separately deciding where to recruit, where any new employees would work, and what compensation and benefits will be offered. No participating company will collaborate in any of these activities with any other participating company personnel.

To learn more about IADC Career Connection, go online to careers.iadc.org.

About IADC

Since its founding in 1940, the International Association of Drilling Contractors has exclusively represented the worldwide oil and gas drilling industry. Its mission is to promote commitment to safety, preservation of the environment and advances in drilling technology. Through conferences, training seminars and a comprehensive network of technical publications, IADC continually fosters education and communications within the upstream petroleum industry. IADC has a global reach, operating wherever its members operate: Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

For more information about IADC, please visit www.iadc.org.