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Total E&P Qatar recently awarded scholarships to five Qatari employees of Qatar Petroleum (QP) as part of the Total International Scholarship Programme, which was started in 2001. |
Under this programme, Total sponsors the full costs of the scholars to achieve their master degrees from leading universities in France.
“We are pleased to award scholarships to local talents in the Qatari community,” said Guillaume Chalmin, managing director of Total E&P Qatar and group representative.
The five QP scholars were selected out of a total of 40 applicants. They were identified through a pre-defined process that includes various factors such as experience, academic excellence and interview assessments.
The employees have expressed enthusiasm at being a part of this successful and diverse initiative. They come from various directorates and departments of QP, such as Corporate Training, Information & Communication Technology, and Joint Ventures.
Ahmad Ali al-Mawlawi, QP’s director of administration, said: “We are proud to celebrate the 12th round of the QP-Total Scholarship Programme this year. Since 2001, the programme has already graduated more than 30 QP employees. We are glad to have this partnership and seek its continuity for the future.”
Abdulla al-Dafaa, human resources manager at QP, said: “The criteria of the QP-Total scholarship are challenging, but by setting high standards, we ensure that our employees will join top educational institutes in France.”
Nawaf al-Kaabi, assistant manager of academic affairs at QP, observed that the QP-Total Scholarship Programme is a key partnership for the academic development of national employees within QP.
A welcome gathering was recently held for the selected QP scholars, which began with a message by Chalmin, followed by a presentation by Emma Ritter, corporate planning manager at Total E&P Qatar.
A briefing on Total’s Qatarisation policy and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives was delivered by Carolina Pretzel, deputy vice-president – Human Resources, Communications & CSR,
and by Yousef al-Jaber, head of CSR and Institutional Affairs. The scholars also attended
a conference with executives at Total’s headquarters
in France.
The students expressed enthusiasm and delight at being selected as candidates for this round of the yearly scholarship programme. “My plan is to return to Doha and contribute back to my company,” said Noora al-Noaimi, one of the QP scholars who will pursue her Master’s degree in Information Technology in France.
Abdulla al-Kuwari, another student, also wishes to gain more cultural experience and exposure to European customs and traditions, especially the French culture. He will be studying MSc in Reservoir Engineering. “Following my Master’s, I will return to QP and resume my career advancement,” he said.
The students will travel to France in early August. Al-Jaber added that the Total International Scholarship Programme has enabled more than 30 Qataris to become a part of a network of over 700 alumni worldwide.
