Qatar Petrochemical Company (Qapco), a top petrochemical company, recently invited senior academics from Qatar University (QU) and Texas A&M at Qatar (TAMUQ) to visit its plants to witness Qapco’s new apprenticeship programme.

The Qapco new Apprenticeship Programme is a one-year training programme that will offer young people a new route into the Oil & Gas industry and will play a key role in satisfying the job demands.

Dr Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla, Qapco’s vice chairman & CEO, said: “Our Apprenticeship Programme is an exciting new training initiative and instrumental in taking Qapco forward, enabling us to further recruit skilled, ambitious graduates.”

“More importantly, it provides the graduates a rewarding leap into the real world, allowing them to grow and expand their skill-base to move on to the next level in their career. The future of our industry depends on the talent we nurture today. Specific and technical skills harnessed over time need to be passed over through to the new generation.

“I am grateful to Qatar University and TAMUQ for visiting us here today as we highly value their opinion and feedback about this original program.  We look forward to working together with these esteemed universities, to ensure that the standards of this educational program are of the highest possible quality and greatly beneficial for the graduates.”

Abdulla Naji, Qapco’s learning & development manager said: “The Qapco Apprenticeship Programme has been designed to overcome perceived barriers to the creation of apprenticeships especially in Qatar.

“I believe that this program will be a model of best practice for the Industry as we bring together the academic theory of university and college education and combine it with practical, hands-on training that will develop the fundamental technical skills required by our operational staff. All the apprentices have already graduated from University with excellent technical degrees, they know the theory, and through this program they will now gain the experience.” – TradeArabia News Service