A three-day conference on building engineering capabilities, competencies and qualifying them for the workforce got underway yesterday with the participation of several Arab countries.
The conference, which is being held under the patronage of HE the Minister of Energy and Industry Dr Mohammed bin Saleh al-Sada, will discuss a number of topics which include building the engineering capabilities and competencies to achieve development, activate the role of engineering and scientific societies and higher education institutions to develop and upgrade engineering competencies and to benefit from the experiences of Arab engineering entities in qualifying engineers.
The conference also aims to activate the role of official and private institutions in developing the engineering capabilities and boost them as well as introducing the effects of modern technology on the engineering field and how it reflects in the labour market and to harmonise between the graduates of higher education and qualifying them for the labour market.
Organised by Qatar Society of Engineers (QSE) in co-operation with the Federation of Arab Engineers, the conference is scheduled to review the experiences of Arab and non-Arab engineers who have long-term knowledge in their field of specialisation, and those from academic institutions, ministries, government bodies and private sector.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) president Eng Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari said that the conference was an important opportunity to discuss ways to further improve engineering profession and the challenges facing the Qatari engineer and Arab engineers in general in building their capacities and competencies.
He stressed Qatar’s interest in human being as the country’s most important investment, pointing out that achieving sustainable human development is one of key pillars of the Qatar National Vision 2030, which was launched by His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
The focus on human development is also an essential objective within the national development strategy, al-Kuwari added.
The Kahramma president said that the government of the State of Qatar is working to equip the Qatari nationals with knowledge to be an effective contributor to the economic and social life and a major participant in the comprehensive development witnessed by the State.
To this end, the State has pursued in co-operation with many specialised think tanks in various fields to obtain the latest international technologies, as well as by sending many students to distinguished international universities to obtain degrees that would contribute to the growth and development of the country through attracting and sponsoring a group of outstanding students in high school and technical high schools and qualifying them at the highest levels in engineering and other disciplines in international universities inside and outside the country, while providing them with full support during their academic studies and graduation to qualify them to gain professional and technical knowledge necessary to prepare them for the labour market in Qatar.
Since the Arab countries are in the stage of growth and development, the biggest support for that is to develop human and technical capacities and raise efficiency, al-Kuwari said, adding that the conference on building engineering capabilities, competencies and qualifying them for the workforce is a strong impetus to the joint work between the Qatari engineers represented in Qatar Society of Engineers and their counterparts in the Federation of Arab Engineers.
It is a platform for exchanging experiences to work together to achieve the ambitions of the Arab peoples in meeting the desired growth and development.
Al-Kuwari pointed to important challenges facing Arab engineers, including the provision of new engineers with an opportunity to engage in work and gain experience as well as the continuous development of experienced engineers and giving them opportunities for self-development and skills development.
The Kahramaa president expressed confidence that the conference, through its working papers and constructive discussions in various aspects, will result in positive outcomes, solutions and proposals in favour of the development and building of engineering capabilities, saying that Kahramaa welcomes creative solutions in this field.
Kahramaa president Eng Essa bin Hilal al-Kuwari addressing delegates at the conference.
