Occupation
Oil and gas production operator
Oil and gas production operators run the wells, separators, compressors, and tanks that bring hydrocarbons to surface and prepare them for transport. Days are spent driving a route of sites or working a shift on a facility, taking readings, adjusting equipment, and dealing with whatever has gone wrong overnight. Sites are frequently remote, and rotational schedules or camp work are common.
Also known as: Production operator · Lease operator · Field operator · Wellsite operator
Occupation content
Part of Utilities, energy, mining and resources
What the work involves
- Take readings on wellheads, separators, compressors, and tanks and adjust set points as needed.
- Start, stop, and troubleshoot pumps, compressors, and dehydration or treating equipment.
- Gauge tanks, coordinate product loading, and record production and injection volumes.
- Test for leaks and gas releases and follow response procedures when detection alarms sound.
- Isolate and prepare equipment under permit so maintenance or well work can proceed.
- Complete daily operating logs, environmental records, and incident reports.
How people commonly enter
- A college certificate or diploma in petroleum, process, or power engineering technology.
- Starting as a field or facility helper and progressing to operator through on-the-job training.
- Transferring from a mechanical, instrumentation, or plant operations background in another industry.
- An operator trainee programme run by a producer, combining safety tickets with supervised field work.
Typical training: Certificate or college diploma
Licensing: Certification common, not usually required
Typical work context
Outdoors · Shift work · Physically active · Involves travel · High responsibility
Related interests
Realistic (hands-on) · Conventional (organizing)
Related aptitude preparation
These are preparation links only. They do not measure eligibility for this occupation and no score here qualifies or disqualifies anyone.
Skills to practise
- Mechanical comprehension
- Technical reasoning
- Safety judgment
- Numerical reasoning
- Attention and concentration
Practice suites
Related learning
Family-level learning links for Utilities, energy, mining and resources.
Official sources
Labour-market facts such as pay and employment projections are not reproduced here. Open an official source below for figures, with its own geography and reference period.
- US BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Construction and Extraction Occupations · United States
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- O*NET OnLine — occupation search: oil and gas production operator · United States
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- Employment and Social Development Canada — National Occupational Classification (NOC) · Canada
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Labour-market context (not part of exploration match)
This is broad family-level context for Utilities, energy, mining and resources in Canada, not a figure for Oil and gas production operator. It does not affect matching scores and is not an eligibility determination.
This is a broad Utilities, energy, mining and resources family. Explore the official profile for the chosen occupation; entry education and training can differ within the family.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Utilities, energy, mining and resources: education pathways
Some roles in Utilities, energy, mining and resources may be regulated. Confirm whether the specific role requires registration, certification, or a jurisdiction-specific licence.
Canada Job Bank Career Planning · Canada · Current official profile; consult source for its release period
Utilities, energy, mining and resources: licensing
Find jobs
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- Search Canada Job Bank · Canada
- Search USAJOBS · United States federal
- Search EURES · European Union / EEA
- Search Indeed · International (choose location on Indeed)