NOC 72501: Water well drillers

What is NOC 72501?

NOC 72501 is the code for water well drillers in the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021. Job titles in this group include cable tool driller - water well drilling, churn drill operator - water well drilling, water well driller and water well driller apprentice. It is a TEER 2 occupation (usually a college diploma, an apprenticeship of 2 or more years, or a supervisory role), so it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, and IRCC lists it for the trades category draw. The Job Bank median wage across Canada is $30.00 an hour.

NOC code

72501

TEER

2: College diploma or apprenticeship of 2+ years

Broad category

Trades, transport and equipment operators and related occupations

Express Entry

Skilled (TEER 0 to 3)

Category draws

Trades

Median wage

$30.00 an hour

Job titles under NOC 72501

Water well drillers operate a variety of mobile water well drilling rigs and equipment to drill and monitor residential, commercial and industrial water wells. They are employed by water well drilling contractors and governments, or they may be self-employed. Apprentices are also included in this unit group.

Main job titles

• cable tool driller - water well drilling
• churn drill operator - water well drilling
• water well driller
• water well driller apprentice

All 8 job titles in the NOC index

apprentice water well driller, cable tool driller - water well drilling, churn drill operator - water well drilling, journeyman/woman water well driller, water well driller, water well driller apprentice, water well driller journeyman/woman, water well drilling technician.

Main duties of NOC 72501

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Review client requirements and proposed locations for water wells
• Operate water well drilling rigs and other equipment to drill, bore and dig for residential, commercial and industrial water wells or environmental assessment, and install well screens, casings and other well fixtures
• Document geological formations encountered
• Clean and disinfect wells in preparation for use
• Perform routine mechanical maintenance work on water well drilling rigs and equipment
• Install, test, maintain and repair water well pumps, piping systems and equipment and perform pumping tests to assess well performance
• May provide other drilling services, such as repair or dismantling of existing water well structure, elevator shaft drilling and hydro pole drilling.
• Water well drillers may specialize in a specific method of drilling, such as cable, rotary, auger, hammer or reverse circulation drilling.

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of a two- to three-year water well drilling apprenticeship program or Two to three years of work experience in the trade combined with college or industry courses in water well drilling is usually required to be eligible for trade certification.
• Trade certification is available, but voluntary, in New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

Additional information

• Mobility is possible among the various well drilling operators in this unit group.
• Progression to supervisory positions is possible with experience.

Is NOC 72501 eligible for Express Entry?

Yes for the programs that need skilled work: TEER 2 is in the TEER 0 to 3 range IRCC accepts.

Read how TEER categories work and the full list of NOC codes in each 2026 category draw. Category draws also need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same amount part-time) in one listed occupation within the past 3 years.

How much does NOC 72501 pay?

Job Bank wages for this occupation, per hour. Low and high are, in most cases, the 10th and 90th percentiles, so 8 in 10 workers earn somewhere between them.

Source: Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025), data from 2023-2024 (Employment Insurance Survey Data). Wages for job offers in LMIA and provincial programs are compared with these figures, so check the current numbers on Job Bank before you rely on them.

Similar NOC codes to compare

If your work leans toward one of these, read its duties too. The closest match is the one whose lead statement and main duties describe most of what you did.

Classified somewhere else

• Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews: 72021 Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews
• Driller - underground mining: 83100 Underground production and development miners
• Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction: 73402 Drillers and blasters - surface mining, quarrying and construction
• Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers: 83101 Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers

Same minor group (7250 Crane operators and water well drillers)

• 72500 Crane operators, TEER 2

Match my duties with AI

Using NOC 72501 duties on your resume

Canadian resumes do not list NOC codes. Employers read your job titles, what you did and what came of it. The NOC duties are still a useful checklist: if you did these tasks, say so in your own words and add the numbers that prove it.

For Express Entry, the reference letter from your employer should describe the duties you really performed, in line with this lead statement and most of the main duties, without copying the NOC text word for word. The free reference letter generator checks your duties against NOC 72501 as you write.

• Start each bullet with a strong verb and end it with a result: how many, how often, how fast.
• Use the job title your employer used, even if the NOC title is different.
• Keep immigration details such as your NOC code and permit type off the resume.

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Where this information comes from

Occupation codes, titles and descriptions are adapted from Statistics Canada, National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 Version 1.0. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.

Wages come from Job Bank, Employment and Social Development Canada (Job Bank 2025 wages, revised November 19, 2025). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Express Entry rules come from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC): the program pages for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the category-based selection page as modified on June 22, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the NOC code for a cable tool driller - water well drilling?

NOC 72501, Water well drillers, a TEER 2 occupation in NOC 2021.

What TEER is NOC 72501?

TEER 2. Usually a college diploma, an apprenticeship of 2 or more years, or a supervisory role. The TEER is the second digit of the code. See all TEER categories.

Is NOC 72501 eligible for Express Entry?

Yes. As a TEER 2 occupation it counts as skilled work for the Federal Skilled Worker Program and the Canadian Experience Class, and it is also a listed Federal Skilled Trades occupation. You still have to meet every other requirement, and your duties must match the NOC description.

Is NOC 72501 in an Express Entry category-based draw?

Yes. IRCC’s 2026 list puts it in the trades category. You need at least 12 months of full-time work (or the same part-time) in it within the past 3 years.

How much does NOC 72501 pay in Canada?

The Job Bank median across Canada is $30.00 an hour, with most wages between $21.60 and $41.92. Pay varies by province: see the table above.

Where is the official description?

On the Statistics Canada and ESDC NOC site: search 72501 in NOC 2021 Version 1.0. This page shows the same text, from the open data Statistics Canada publishes.

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More on NOC codes and Canadian resumes

• NOC Code Finder: Describe your duties and get your NOC 2021 code, TEER and Express Entry eligibility. Free.
• NOC Codes Canada: Full List: All 516 NOC 2021 codes with their TEER, duties and wages.
• TEER Categories Explained: What TEER 0 to 5 means, which count for Express Entry, and every job in each one.
• Express Entry Category Draws: NOC Codes: Every NOC code on the 2026 healthcare, STEM, trades, education and other lists.
• Canadian Resume Examples by Job: Real examples for cashiers, caregivers, trades, tech, students and more.
• Newcomer Resume Guide: Turn international experience into a resume Canadian employers understand.