Seventy students from local and international universities have participated in Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco)’s eight-week summer internship programme.
The programme began in early June with a three-day induction course designed to introduce the students to Qapco. It included health and safety training, plant orientation and distribution of personal protection equipment.
Qapco offers both Qatari and expatriate students the opportunity to experience what it is like to work in a modern petrochemical plant and engages them in hands-on training, giving them work-based insight into the academic theory they are currently studying in universities and colleges. Also, it helps them prepare for growing opportunities within Qapco and the oil and gas industry in Qatar.
Dr Mohamed Yousef al-Mulla, vice-chairman & CEO of Qapco, described the internship programme as a critical element of a student’s development. “Qapco’s economic growth depends on recruiting the best and the brightest graduates. That’s why we’re focusing significant energy on showing our students the tremendous opportunities Qapco has to offer after they finish their studies. This programme also puts the spotlight on the critical role internships play not only in our Qatarisation strategy but also in the Qatarisation goals of the country,” he said.
Abdulla Ahmed Naji, Qapco’s learning and development (L&D) manager, said: “This year, 70 students successfully completed the internship programme, including 25 Qatari students - 10 from Qatar Independent Technical School, nine from Community College Qatar, four from Al Awsaj Academy and two from Qatar University. Of the 70 interns, 53 were technical students, which emphasises our commitment to recruiting the best technical graduates in Qatar. We also welcomed 15 students from international universities with five from a special agreement with Qatar University.”
Dean Gordon, an engineering student from Heriot-Watt University in the UK and one of the interns, described the programme as a truly wonderful experience and one that he will never forget. “The summer internship programme allowed me to learn aspects of engineering that I would never learn in the classroom. It was well-organised and opened my eyes to what was expected from an engineer. I would recommend this programme to all students, it was just great.”