The long road to the rig
New entrants to Aramco’s upstream arm are trained to be multi-skilled
Up to 250 young Saudis each year will have the experience of planning the development of an oil well and operating a jack-up rig before they have even reached a well head in the desert or offshore Saudi Arabia. Such is the advanced equipment available in the company's Upstream Professional Development Center (UPDC) in the Dhahran administration complex. Sitting in a large chair, with control leavers on the arms, young Saudis can learn to operate a cyber rig, coping with challenges created by instructors. "In any sort of drilling operation, before you head out to the rig site to drill a well, we train you and you have to get a certification," says Has Malik, one of the instructors. "When we a
Also in this section
28 January 2026
The alliance looks to bolster market management credibility by bringing greater clarity and unity to output cuts and producer capacity later in 2026
23 January 2026
A strategic pivot away from Russian crude in recent weeks tees up the possibility of improved US-India trade relations
23 January 2026
The signing of a deal with a TotalEnergies-led consortium to explore for gas in a block adjoining Israel’s maritime area may breathe new life into the country’s gas ambitions
22 January 2026
As Saudi Arabia pushes mining as a new pillar of its economy, Saudi Aramco is positioning itself at the intersection of hydrocarbons, minerals and industrial policy
