Doha, Qatar – 11 December 2014: Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO) and the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNA-Q) have signed a ground-breaking agreement to create a Professional Chair of Vocational Studies that will assist in building a strategic roadmap for the future of vocational education in Qatar.
The agreement, signed at a ceremony held at the College on Monday 8th December, aims to improve the quality of vocational training that is delivered by CNA-Q and QAPCO personnel to their students and trainees and will strengthen the knowledge, skills and capacities of practitioners in this field to improve the delivery of current and future programs.
The sponsorship of this Chair is part of QAPCO’s innovative Research & Development strategy that focuses on implementing new and innovative ways of developing and supporting the Education Sector within Qatar in line with the country’s National Vision 2030. The scope of the Chair is wide ranging and includes a remit to conduct a review and GAP analysis of current vocational curriculum, to act as an in-house expert and champion of vocational training at CNA-Q and to engage in research that will ensure World-wide best practices are implemented within the Vocational further education sector in Qatar.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. Mohammed Yousef Al Mulla QAPCO’s Managing Director and CEO described the new Chair as one of the most important educational research initiatives to be implemented in Qatar for many years as the Chair Holder will review, design and implement strategies that will improve the overall quality of future graduates, equipping them with the specific competencies required today in Industry. He stated, “I must thank Dr. Ken MacLeod and his team at CNA-Q for sharing our vision and passion for vocational training and for agreeing to collaborate on this new initiative that will, I am sure, provide many benefits for the College, for QAPCO and for Qatar in general.”
Dr. Al Mulla continued, “It also underlies our continued support for the education sector within Qatar and confirms our position as one of the Country’s leading companies for encouraging and nurturing tomorrow’s talent and expertise. This Chair of Vocational Studies will reinforce QAPCO’s commitment to CNA-Q and furthers our strategic goal to support education. We are providing a foundation here and I believe that the future of Qatar and especially the Oil & Gas industry is in safe hands especially when one has two great establishments such as QAPCO and CNA-Q collaborating together and driving research into vocational training forward. We will recruit a leading Global expert in vocational training to this post and will provide all the necessary resources and requirements that will enable this Chair to be the success we all aim and wish for.”
Dr. Ken MacLeod CNA-Q’s President thanked Dr. Al Mulla for his kind words and emphasized the importance of this position to the State by saying, “The partnership between CNA-Q and QAPCO has been a long and successful one, and the establishment of the Professional Chair in Vocational Studies is confirmation of our shared vision of the need for, and the potential of, applied learning and vocational training. CNA-Q has become a beacon of excellence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Qatar and the region, and we are delighted to be partnering with QAPCO on this initiative, which we think not only has potential to benefit CNA-Q and QAPCO, but is aligned with the goals and aspirations of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development and Education and Training Sector Strategies, and, therefore, has potential to contribute to national priorities in this area.”
In attendance at the ceremony were Senior Management from QAPCO and CNA-Q including from QAPCO Mr. Yousef Abdulla Rebeeh, Chief Operations Officer, Mr. Ahmad Jamali, Maintenance Manager, Mr. Abdulla Ahmad Naji, Learning & Development Manager, Mr. Ahmad Yaseen Al Hammadi, Public Affairs & Communication Manager, Mr. Mejali Al Kuwari, Head of Qatarization and from CNA-Q Mr. Norris Eaton, Vice President – Academic, Mr. Shawn Brace, Vice President – Finance & Administration and Ms. Shirley Carroll, Associate Vice President – Learner Services. Other special guests included members of the CNA-Q Joint Oversight Board, Ann Marie Vaughan, President, CNA; Ms. Leona Webb, Ms. Cheryl Stagg and Mr. Troy Mitchell, as well as Qatar members Dr. Khalid Mohammed Al-Horr, Director of the Higher Education Institute, Supreme Education Council and Dr. Abdullatif Al-Khal, Director of Medical Education, Hamad Medical Corporation.
About QAPCO: QAPCO is a Qatar-based company established in 1974 and is a joint venture between Industries Qatar (80%) and Total Petrochemicals France (20%). The company is one of the largest producers of low density polyethylene (LDPE) in the region besides producing ethylene, sulphur and other petrochemical products. QAPCO is involved in a number of joint ventures that include QATOFIN, QVC, and QPPC, making QAPCO a regional petrochemical powerhouse.
LDPE is considered as the most widely used type of plastic, with applications such as food packaging, agricultural films, toys, cables and wires, coating, lamination and many other products broadly used all over the planet. LDPE enriches our everyday life, making it more practical, safer, lighter and better. The LDPE produced by QAPCO is a high quality food-contact safe grade polymer and complies with local, EU and U.S. FDA standards related to food packaging safety.