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Doha, Qatar - His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, presided over the 16th Annual Qatarization Review Meeting of the energy and industry sector.
H.E. Dr. Al-Sada delivered the keynote address during the event, while the welcome message was delivered by Mr. Hamad A. Al-Hammadi, Chairman of the Strategic Qatarization Committee.
In support of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2016-2020,
the meeting attendees listened to presentations highlighting the energy and industry sector's progress in managing its Qatari human capital strategies.
The meeting was also attended by Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum; as well as by senior executives and representatives from the 37 participating companies in the sector's Strategic Qatarization Plan. Also present during the event were senior executives from Qatar's education community.
In his opening address H.E. Dr. Al-Sada pointed out that despite of challenges faced by the sector due to volatile oil prices in 2015, the participating companies still strongly invested in human capital.
"We will utilize these challenges to become a stronger knowledge-based economy, resulting in long-term benefits for the country. The competition for young Qataris is fierce between different sectors and we will do our utmost in attracting, developing, and retaining young Qataris. These challenges have not hindered the energy and industry sector's Qatari workforce to continue growing," he stressed.
In addition, H.E. the Minister emphasized the importance of the vocational path, as it is the backbone of the industry. He encouraged those present to do more to further expand efforts to attract and retain Qatari technicians and increase their intake into the industry because it is seen as a key factor to successful Qatarization in the sector. H.E. Dr. Al-Sada also remarked that many companies are working hard to improve the work environment and implement flexible working hours to further entice women to join the energy and industry sector, thus leading to more Qataris in the sector's workforce.
As he stressed the importance of technical education, H.E. Dr. Al-Sada emphasized the need to build strong bonds between educational institutions and the companies in the sector to ensure that the educational requirements of the companies are met. This has already resulted in many companies signing memorandum of understandings (MOUs) with educational institutions to assist in research and to contribute in evaluating the curriculum of educational institutions.
In his remarks, H.E. Dr. Al-Sada was also pleased to see the tremendous efforts from companies to educate young high school and university students regarding the range of career opportunities in the sector.
H.E. the Minister also used the occasion to recognize three individuals who have provided a strong contribution and support to Qatarization in the energy and industry sector over the years. These were Dr. Sheika Al-Misnad, former president of Qatar University as well as Mr. Abubakr Al-Saiari and Mr. Roger Gregson, both of whom were from Qatar Petroleum.
As part of the event, a high-level review of Qatarization in the sector was presented by three young Qataris, namely Ms. Mais Taha, Reservoir Engineer from Maersk Oil Qatar; Mr. Mohammed Essa Al-Kaabi, Human Resources Manager of (Nakilat); and Mr. Mohammed Al-Amadi, Operating Specialist at Q-Chem. This was followed by an Executive Statistical Report regarding Qatarization in the energy and industry sector.
The 16th Annual Qatarization Review Meeting also featured the sector's Eight Annual Qatarization Awards ceremony, during which H.E. Dr. Al-Sada accompanied by Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, honoured companies that exhibited Qatarization excellence in 2015.
The recipients of the prestigious Qatarization Crystal Awards were Qatar Petrochemical Company Ltd (QAPCO) for Support and Liaison with the Education Sector; Maersk Oil Qatar for Supporting Qatarization; Bunduq Company Limited for Support for Training and Development, Dolphin Energy Limited for Supporting Student Sponsorships; and, Qatar General Electricity and water Corporation (KAHRAMAA) for Best Qatarization Progress.
Annual Qatarization Certificates were also presented to Qatar Fertilizer company (QAFCO) for Support and Liaison with the Education Sector; Qatar Fuel Company (WOQOOD) for Supporting Qatarization; Total E&P Qatar for Support for Training and Development; and ExxonMobile Qatar Inc. for Supporting Student Sponsorships.
The highlight of the event was honoring the former chairman of the Strategic Qatarization Committee Mr. Abubakr al-Saiari who has served 42 years in the service of Qatar Petroleum with continuous dedication and outstanding commitment to Qatarization in the Energy and Industry sector, and 15 years at the helm of the committee.
© Press Release 2016
