Our Story

At the request of major oil companies and service companies, Murchison Drilling Schools (MDS) was founded in 1977 by Bill Murchison. During Bill’s last 7 years in Iran, he was asked to start a training program for the Iranian oil consortium.  He put together a training manual and program that was not only highly effective but also very well received by contractors and service companies as well as the operators. When Bill left Iran in 1977, the operating and service companies asked him to start his own business so that they could continue sending their drillers, toolpushers, foremen and engineers to him for training. Bill moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico and put together the Operational Drilling Technology (ODT) Course.

In 2012 MDS opened the Houston Training Center. MDS also began offering classes in Odessa, Denver, Wichita Falls, and Anchorage. Through license agreements, MDS also offered classes in South America and Africa. In 2020 MDS joined up with the Well Academy, which is part of the ModuResources Group of companies. The name was changed from Murchison Drilling Schools to Well Academy Murchison (WAM). Well Academy already had training centers in Australia, Europe, and the Middle East, so this gave them a training center in America. Well Academy is a global leader in training in the energy sector, and offers a wide assortment of courses and training related services.

Click here to see a list of companies that MDS/WAM has trained.