DOHA, QATAR - College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) hosted its largest co-curricular event of the academic year, the ninth annual CNA-Q Skills Competition, sponsored by Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO).
The CNA-Q Skills Competition offers 50 different competitions – in Engineering Technology, Information Technology, Health Sciences, Business Studies and Academics – simulating a variety of real-world tasks that students will perform in the workplace once they graduate. The CNA-Q Skills Competition is modeled after World Skills International, which is a global initiative to promote the development of skilled trades.
The Winner of the QAPCO Highest Achiever Award was presented to student, Abdulwahhab Saleh Al-Shatef. He was presented his award for achievements in the Skills Competition and academic studies, while maintaining perfect attendance, by Mr. Abdulrahman Sultan Al-Darwish, Strategic Qatarization Manager at QAPCO, who stated, “By supporting CNA-Q’s innovative educational programs such as the CNA-Q Skills Competition, we believe we are making a difference to the future of vocational training in Qatar by nurturing talent and expertise. This competition is important as it sharpens the skills of the students and ensures their marketability in an increasingly competitive working environment.”
More than 550 College students competed against their peers to test the technical skills they are learning through their studies. For the second year, the College partnered with local secondary schools to include hundreds of secondary students in the competition, giving more young people the opportunity to be involved in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Some competitions are completed individually, while others are in groups, where students solve real-life scenarios. As in past years, Pharmacy students from Qatar University, Nursing students from University of Calgary in Qatar and medical students from Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar participated in group health care-related competitions to strengthen inter-professional learning opportunities.
“Most of the extra-curricular activities we host on campus are also co-curricular, and involve elements of experiential learning, which is the learning method we are known for here at the college. We believe in applied education and producing graduates to be knowledge workers for the future,” said Dr. Ken MacLeod, President of CNA-Q. “It is our pleasure to host high school students on our campus for this event as well, so they can experience the thrill of STEM and technical activities for themselves, and encourage them to consider skilled trades as a viable career path here in Qatar. Through the support of our sponsors, we have tripled the number of students and competitions involved in this event, leading more youth toward making Qatar’s National Vision 2030 a reality."
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