Global oil and gas training provider Well Academy has made a strategic appointment to support its growth ambitions within Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Karst Venema has taken on the role of operations manager for Well Academy EMEA. Based in the Apeldoorn training centre in the Netherlands, Karst will be responsible for the region’s day-to-day operations including further growing its pool of trainers, overseeing new course accreditations, and developing online course solutions.
Karst’s remit will also include the Well Academy centre in Westhill, Aberdeenshire which offers well engineering courses as well as ModuSpec technical training.
Karst is an experienced completions and well intervention engineer and wellsite supervisor. He has held a number of offshore and onshore supervisory roles with operators, both in the Netherlands and the UK. Prior to moving to Well Academy, Karst was Wells Performance & Planning Engineer with exploration & production company, NAM.
Regional director Martin Struik says Karst’s experience makes him ideally placed to continue to grow Well Academy’s training presence in the EMEA region.
“Karst’s extensive engineering experience with operators in the Netherlands and UK aligns perfectly with our current course portfolio,” Martin said. “His industry knowledge and expertise will also be extremely useful as we continue to develop future course content and bespoke training.”
Well Academy has two accredited centres in the EMEA region – in Apeldoorn and in Westhill, Aberdeenshire – as well as a number of associate centres. The centres offer training accredited by the International Well Control Forum (IWCF) and the International Association of Drilling Contractors (IADC) as well as ModuSpec rig equipment courses.