Tamuq students gain work experience with internships

More than 50 students pursuing their engineering degrees at Texas A&M University at Qatar (Tamuq), a Qatar Foundation partner university, completed internships at leading organisations in the country and around the region during summer 2022.This opportunity allowed the students to get a first-hand experience of how a company works on a day-to-day basis.Some of the organisations that hosted Tamuq interns include Schlumberger, North Oil Company (NOC), Facilities Management and Maintenance Company (FMM), Hassad Food, Ooredoo, Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), Siemens Energy and Xylem Qatar within the country and The Solar Company in Egypt and Turkish Aerospace Academy in Turkey.Talking about his internship at the Turkish Aerospace Academy, Yousuf Darwish, a mechanical engineering student, said it was interesting to see the different kinds of helicopters, fighter jets and drones. "We had the chance to work with a group of engineers in the additive manufacturing department and learn a lot.”Faisal Ashour, a chemical engineering student, recalled that during his six-week internship at NOC, he learned about the oil and gas industry and Al Shaheen field, which produces approximately 45% of Qatar’s oil production. "I interned as a process engineer on the upstream processes of NOC’s offshore platforms. The tasks I was assigned to created and developed crucial process engineering skills that have advanced my growth as a chemical engineer."Schlumberger welcomed 12 students — the largest cohort of Tamuq interns placed in an organisation this internship season. Farah Shabbir, an electrical engineering student, said that interning at Schlumberger gave an insight into how the industry works. According to Daniel Vemagiri Marbaniang, talent acquisition manager - Qatar, Schlumberger, the students from Tamuq were equipped to work efficiently and contribute right from the first day. Apart from putting their engineering knowledge into practice, students explored challenging work practices, taking ownership and responsibility of tasks, enhancing interpersonal skills and working independently as part of a team. They received specific job-related training and were exposed to diverse environments and work cultures.Dr Hassan S Bazzi, senior associate dean for research and advancement at Tamuq, said: “We are committed towards developing engineering leaders who can have a direct positive impact on the country. These internships give us the opportunity to showcase the high quality of students enrolled at Tamuq, thus giving potential employers a glimpse of what to expect.”