A leading Qatari firm specialising in the oil and gas industry plans to work with universities to train and develop human capital for the future of country’s energy sector.
Jassim al-Mansoori, vice chairman and chief executive officer, Al-Ahed Holding, said engineering students will stand to gain from John Crane’s recently-opened dry gas seal and testing facility at Ras Laffan Industrial City (RLIC).
“These plans are still in the pipeline but we have already discussed with John Crane that we would want to initiate a programme with universities in Qatar to do some sort of internship or development plan during their studies, especially for students taking up mechanical engineering, which will be quite helpful and a learning process for them,” al-Mansoori told Gulf Times on the sidelines of the facility’s opening ceremony.
Al-Mansoori said Al-Ahed has represented John Crane within Qatar for nearly 40 years, providing a range of John Crane products and multidisciplinary services to oil and gas customers within the region. 
The service centre is part of John Crane’s commitment to continue investing in and developing its network of global service centres, as well as bolster support for local customer service needs.
In an earlier statement, John Crane explained that the new service centre is Qatar’s first dry gas seal repair and testing facility, and will provide John Crane with the capabilities necessary for aftermarket support for its customers within the region, while also allowing them to deliver quick turnaround service capabilities and reduce downtime costs. 
“We are also planning to train some of the Qatar Petroleum junior employees and we are thinking of talking to some of the universities to make this facility like a laboratory for visits, on-the-job training, and orientation for the mechanical and electrical engineers. Also, the centre will serve all sectors of Qatar’s energy industry, including expansion plans for the state’s oil and gas sector, al-Sulaiti added.
The facility boasts of a rig that al-Mansoori described as a “first-of-its-kind globally and in the history of John Crane,” which will also cater to the country’s future LNG expansion plans.
Al-Ahed co-founder Jaber A al-Sulaiti noted that prior to the John Crane facility most services and expertise were only available abroad, taking up time and money, as well as delays.
“But now these services now are available locally, and the facility can serve the oil and gas sector without any problems…also, this facility will definitely create a lot of opportunities for employees for both citizens and expatriates, so it is definitely going to require a number of staff to take care of the artisans and employment associated with the workshop,” said al-Sulaiti.
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