In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNA-Q) organised a hybrid graduation ceremony to celebrate the completion of OHS (occupational health & safety) training for 80 public high school teachers from Qatar’s business and technical schools.
The ceremony was attended by Dr Salem Al-Naemi, CNA-Q president; Dr Rachid Benlamri, vice-pesident – Academic Affairs at CNA-Q; Dr Suhaim Khalaf al-Josaiman, manager of CNA-Q's Continuing and Professional Education; Hessa al-Ali, director of the Training and Educational Development Centre, MoEHE; and Mohamed Abdullah al-Maraghi, director of the Health and Safety Department, MoEHE.
Continuing and Professional Education Department (CPE) at CNA-Q, in collaboration with School of Engineering Technology and Industrial Trades, offered this occupational health & safety training to the graduates at the request of Qatar's Ministry of Education and Higher Education. The courses included introductory modules on health and safety in the schooling workplace. It also investigated scenarios of possible health and safety risks within classrooms and workshops, using case studies and video examples.
The programme initiated discussions about possible short-term and long-term methods of improving health and safety within the schools, from an organisational and individual point of view. Further, the sessions gave a brief look into the global and local contemporary health and safety issues.
Dr Benlamri said: “This initiative is one of many collaborations between CNA-Q and the MoEHE. As an educational institution, we aim to spread knowledge and encourage development and innovation in different fields. For this purpose, our Continuing and Professional Education department collaborates with our faculty and many global partners to provide top-notch training and internationally recognised programmes to the Qatari market. We appreciate the trust that was put in our college to deliver this training and we hope that the knowledge acquired by the teachers will help in creating a safer environment for the schools’ staff and students alike.”
Al-Ali said: “We thank College of the North Atlantic – Qatar for their contribution in developing the national human capital. This is a step forward towards achieving Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's strategic plan for 2018-2022. Four groups of teachers and administrators attended the training sessions during a full month. The occupational health and safety programme answers a need within our schools. The trainees are able to apply what they learned effectively at the workplace. It gives them a chance to enhance their performance and achieve success in their role.”
Dr al-Josaiman added: “Safe work practices should be a top priority at any institution, it is particularly salient for preparation of the educational workforce, especially that the knowledge and expertise of teachers are a school's greatest asset. At CPE, we are keen on offering courses, trainings and programs that provide opportunities for individuals, governmental and private entities’ workforce to learn new applied skills, improve and grow. We look forward to future collaborations and we wish the participants, success and achievement in their professional life.”