Qatar's Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Texas A&M University to offer a number of training and development programmes for both Ashghal employees and university students.

As per the deal, Ashghal will offer training opportunities for students in the fields of construction and management of projects.

On the other hand, Texas A&M at Qatar will provide educational support to Ashghal staff who wish to continue their studies in the university in various fields, through training courses offered by the university to employees, said a statement from the company.

Ashghal will also sponsor Texas A&M at Qatar’s upcoming conference “Advances in Materials and Pavement Performance Prediction” (AM3P) to be held in April next year in Doha, in collaboration with a number of Qatari and international entities.

The memo also stipulates that Ashghal’s employees participate in the steering committee of the Consortium of Asphalt Pavement Technologies, with the goal of constructing long-lasting and high-performing roads in Qatar.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr Saad bin Ahmad Al Muhannadi, the president of Ashghal, said: "There is a continuous co-operation and co-ordination between Ashghal and various education entities in the country."

"This agreement represents a strategic cooperation and a good effort to develop Ashghal's vision in training and development to meet the needs of the Public Works Authority in this field, in addition to the co-operation in research and recycling materials used in Ashghal’s projects, opening the possibility of finding alternatives for projects’ materials to guarantee quality and reduce cost," he added.-TradeArabia News Service