The International Well Control Forum (IWCF) is establishing technical taskforces involving industry specialists to help drive up the quality of well control training to ensure it remains current.

IWCF is an independent, not-for-profit organization that sets international training standards for well control. These taskforces are part of new measures being taken in response to the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers guidelines following the Macondo incident in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

IWCF is seeking volunteers from across the industry to take up roles on eight new taskforces including: drilling, well intervention and completion, quality of training, level 5, crew resources management, enhanced certificate renewal, strategy group and HP/HT.

The organization also is introducing new levels to well control training including a new level 1 introductory online course, which will be available free to anyone with an interest in the industry before year-end.