College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNA-Q) has recognised 167 Qatari students in its Technician Preparatory Programme (TPP), who have completed certificate credentials and are now qualified to work as technicians in Qatar’s energy and industry sector.
The students, who are all Qatari nationals sponsored by local industry companies, received their designation at a ceremony in Doha recently.
The TPP was started in 2005, when CNA-Q assumed the technical training programme for Qatar Petroleum (QP). In the past decade, the programme has grown to graduate more than 1,650 technicians who now work with over 20 industry partners in four disciplines: mechanical, instrumentation, electrical and process operation.
Guest speaker Adbullah Omar al-Dafaa, human resources manager at QP, congratulated graduates on the milestone. “Investment in human development is the most valuable asset for Qatar,” he said. “We aim to attract and develop a capable Qatari workforce with internationally-recognised standards, integrating them in all levels of the sector, and provide them with long-term careers.”
Ghanem al-Naimi is a student who received his Certificate II qualification as a mechanical technician, and will now start work at RasGas. “During my time at CNA-Q, I cannot explain how much I learned as a student and as a professional.”
“We are very proud of the personal and educational development of each of these students, who will now take their place in the workforce to contribute towards Qatar National Vision 2030,” said CNA-Q president Dr Ken MacLeod. “This technician programme is a hallmark of our college and a testament to the responsiveness of our programming to prepare students with the technical skills to support and advance the State’s energy and industry sector.”
Since opening in 2002, CNA-Q has grown to offer over 30 diploma and certificate programmes, graduating more than 4,500 alumni from its TPP as well as from its schools of engineering technology, health sciences, information technology and
business studies.