Welcome to our Progression Series, if you are keen to explore and progress within McKay Drilling then we hope this series assists you pave the path to success. Here we learn and share experiences from our employees;
Meet Mathieu Boisvert, Trainee Driller;
Graduating High School at La Salle College, Midland in 2014, Mathieu began a Pre-Apprenticeship to become an Electrician. He eventually realised that an electrical trade wasn’t going to be in his future.
As most young people experience fresh out of high school, it can be a difficult time to navigate what you actually want to do – what career interests you most? Mathieu found himself working at a local IGA and by the age of 21 he was starting to realise he had learnt a few skills even in retail.
Being put in charge of managing the store, having responsibilities allowed him to be proactive and find solutions to any issues and he has always felt comfortable speaking up which is an important quality to have in life. All these skills gained were actually about to help him.
One day a mate started talking to him about drilling and Mathieu’s interest was sparked. He began the process to apply and in doing so he had to resit his licence which was an automatic drivers licence, a manual is a must when working in the drilling industry so he saved up to sit his manual licence and complete his HR Syncro licence to drive heavy vehicles onsite which is also a requirement.
Mathieu started working at McKay Drilling in January 2020, he remembers it “being a very daunting leap to take” to begin this journey into the drilling world. His first day he had to pinch himself to realise he was actually onsite and quickly learnt what a drill rig actually looked like and how hot it was in February. The scale of the size of the equipment, the realisation of the hazards and the responsibility that was on him to be aware of himself and his team at all times made him hesitant to pick up tools. He admits, the thoughts of “can I actually do this?” crossing his mind but by a couple of swings in he had a moment where he realised his Driller gave him some positive feedback – “Thanks for your work and would be happy for you (him) to be on his crew” – and it just all clicked that he definitely can do this. At this same time, his situational awareness in understanding the drilling methods kicked in and it just got better from there with bonds being formed with everyone as they knew he was retaining the knowledge he was being taught. “The first pay check definitely helped too” Mathieu said.
“I never pictured myself driving trucks, operating heavy machinery or drilling before that conversation with my mate. It changed my life for the better. I have more confidence in my abilities since my green days thanks to some great role models that have set me up for success. I was really green to this industry even having to learn the name of tools and without these role models taking the time out of their day to provide me with the best guidance I definitely would have taken longer to learn or possibly given up. Carrington O’Carroll is a stand out, he is a top bloke.”
“I was taught if feeling hesitant to take a step back (metaphorically), analyse the situation, stay calm, stay focused, give everything a go that is new to me and if necessary break tasks down into smaller steps to achieve the best results.”
After doing things with confidence, it was time for Mathieu to take on Trainee Driller when an opportunity came up in August 2023. Mathieu has been enjoying the new challenges that come with this role and enjoys paying forward the knowledge he has learnt to new starters.
Mathieu is proud to work for a company that has been really supportive during the loss of a loved one and he feels being and feeling part of the team has made a huge difference. “The laughs in the field, friendships formed, community and culture have all helped to get through swings and the harsh environment that we work in”.
He encourages anyone thinking about working in the drilling industry to take the leap like he did as it is hard but extremely rewarding personally and professionally.
