Four accreditation certificates from the Canadian Technology Accreditation Board (CTAB) have been awarded to College of the North Atlantic-Qatar’s (CNA-Q) engineering technology programmes.
CNA-Q president Dr Khalifa al-Khalifa received the awards from CTAB education consultant Errol Persaud at a ceremony on Monday at CNA-Q, adding to the long list of other internationally-recognised accreditations that the institution holds in its academic schools.
The CTAB certificates were awarded to the three-year diploma programmes of Process Automation Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology, and Chemical Processing Engineering Technology.
“These accreditations are extremely important for CNA-Q. They validate the excellent work we are doing and serve as a reminder that this CNA-Q is an internationally recognised technical college, preparing its students to be trained as innovative problem-solvers and technically competent workers who strive to meet Qatar’s evolving economic needs,” Dr al-Khalifa said in a press statement. 
“These CTAB accreditations mean that CNA-Q programmes meet and exceed an outstanding standard of education in the field of engineering technology,” he stressed.
According to CNA-Q, its Process Automation Engineering Technology programme, along with the Electrical Engineering Technology programme, has been re-accredited for a second time until 2020.
The College’s Chemical Processing Engineering Technology programme secured its first accreditation from CTAB until 2021, including its Mechanical Engineering Technology programme.
Established in 1982, the CTAB is a standing committee of The Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists (CCTT). The board is charged with developing, co-ordinating and managing the national accreditation programme for applied science and engineering technology programmes internationally.
CNA-Q vice president-Academic Samah Gamar echoed the statement of Dr al-Khalifa saying that “our graduates are recognised as work-ready – stepping up to high industry expectations, especially when national interests are at stake.” 
She described the College’s engineering technology credentials as “the only credentials of their kind offered in Qatar.” 
“To secure this type of accreditation, they must be academically rigorous programmes taught in applied workshop-based settings that mirror industry needs and challenges,” Gamar noted.
Meanwhile, Persaud, during his visit to the College, also awarded engineering graduates Ahmed Saleh al-Baker, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Heidous and Mohamed Ahmad al-Enazi who recently bagged the first place in CTAB 2018’s National Applied Research/Technology contest for their “Natural Gas Liquid Recovery Plant Design, Simulation and Optimisation” report.
“Each year, we hold a report contest for students from CTAB-accredited programmes. The quality of reports submitted certainly reflects the excellent education students are being exposed to,” said CTAB chair Candace Scott in a statement.
“CNA-Q students were among some of the top submittals this year and CTAB is pleased to announce that the first-place winner of the 2018 contest was from CNA-Q,” Scott added.
Ahmed Haseeb and Hassan Mouhsin, who are both graduates of Process Automation Engineering Technology programme at CNA-Q, also received an honourable mention for their report,“Design a Safety Control System for the Instrument Air Supply in a Qapco Plant.” 
“This speaks not only to the high caliber of our students but also to the excellent instruction they receive while at the College. This is proof that upon graduation, our students are ready to compete on an international platform in their field. We are very proud of these winners,” Dr al-Khalifa said.

Other accredited courses

All CNA-Q programmes in the School of Business Studies are accredited by Accreditation Council for Business Schools for two and three-year diplomas in the disciplines of Marketing, Accounting and Human Resource Management. 
The programmes in the College’s School of Information Technology are accredited by Canadian Association of Information Professionals, which are: Information Systems – Hardware, Information Systems – Software, Information Systems – Network and Systems Administration, and Information Systems – Web Developer.
In the School of Health Sciences, the following programmes are accredited: Three-year diploma in Respiratory Therapy are accredited by Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists; two-year Pharmacy Technician diploma is accredited by The Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programmes; Occupational Health Safety and Environment Programme is accredited by National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health; three-year diplomas in Advanced Care Paramedicine Programme and its Medical Radiography are both accredited by Accreditation Canada.
In the School of Language Studies and Academics, the English Language programme is accredited by Commission on English Language Programme Accreditation.