Getting students onto the rig is key to attracting the next generation of drillers

The drilling industry is growing quickly, but it can do more to bring young people into the fold, says an IADC Student Chapter Member. Speaking to DC at the 2026 IADC Annual General Meeting in Dallas, Texas, on 4 November, Chance Wilber, a petroleum engineering student at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, talked about the ways in which he thinks the industry can best reach out to students looking to join the industry. Mr Wilbur was a speaker at the Annual General Meeting on a panel on attracting and retaining young talent.