The purpose of this thesis titled ‘A Holistic Approach to Drilling Personnel Training with Emphasis on Syllabus Development’ is to provide an overview of the training situation in the drilling industry today. The working scope of this thesis includes the roles of the roustabout to the toolpusher as well as the new aspect of crew resource management. This thesis then introduces the concepts of modern innovative training techniques, such as ‘serious games’ and virtual world reality. An analysis of training simulation facilities and training centres provide an overview of what is currently available on the market. The final part of this thesis aims to provide insight into designing a unique training centre curriculum where physical drilling hardware coalesces with high end drilling simulators. Thus, the outcome of this thesis is to outline a syllabus that provides a realistic, cost effective and efficient training environment that pushes future drilling personnel to the threshold of physical and mental resilience.