Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd (Oxy Qatar) hosted a group of 27 high school and university students as part of its 2013 summer internship programme, which ran from late May until August.
The interns worked in various technical departments, including drilling and engineering (reservoir, facilities or operations) or in support services such as human resources (HR), public relations, legal affairs and supply chain. High school students took part in a one-week internship, during which they were trained by departmental mentors. Students from universities had the opportunity to obtain paid, hands-on work experience for four to six weeks.
The programme was designed to provide relevant experience for students who would soon be part of the Qatari workforce. At the end of their internships, the university students presented what they have learned before their mentors, executive management and fellow interns. The programme also offered orientation sessions, training in presentation and other skills as well as field trips.
Oxy Qatar president and general manager Stephen Kelly said, “Oxy is committed to investing in people and communities. Our goal each year is to enhance opportunities for local students through the summer internship programme, which is open for applications as early as January.”
Lulwa al-Malki, a four-week intern in the HR department, said: “I am a Qatar University student and found out about Oxy’s summer internship through the 2013 career fair. One of Oxy’s greatest qualities is delegation. We had responsibilities, tasks and projects to complete on our own. Also, we have been treated like employees, respected and taken
seriously.” Other interns also expressed satisfaction with the work atmosphere at Oxy and were appreciative of the help they received from their mentors and other Oxy employees.