CNA-Q celebrates employees
6/17/2009 12:05:18 PM
College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q) held a ceremony June 8 to acknowledge the significant milestones of its employees. The event, Celebrating Our Successes: Five Year Service Awards & Recognition of Achievements, saw 77 employees honoured with certificates.
Fifteen employees received TAFE certificates (Technical and Further Education) from Australia; 14 staff were recognized for furthering their education through post-secondary degrees, diplomas or certificates from institutions in Qatar, Canada, Australia, the UK and the US; and 11 individuals and departments were recognized for various achievements throughout the 2008-09 academic year.
Of particular significance, 37 Five Year Awards were given to recognize the commitment made by Canadian employees to further education in Qatar. These Canadians and their families have made a life in Doha, embraced the culture and brought their expertise to a country seeking to become a world leader in education.
Keith Bonnell, Mathematics Instructor, spoke on behalf of the Five Year Award recipients. He spoke of the initial attraction to the adventure found working in an exotic climate, of the attractive and inclusive package offered by CNA-Q and the potential for professional growth, and of the opportunities for employees and their families to see the world. But it is the personal experience, said Bonnell, the “oneness” with the country, its culture and its people that has made the experience something far more profound than ever expected for he and so many of his colleagues.
“Over time many of us recognized that what initially brought us here was becoming a very small part of what was keeping us here. We had fallen in love with the soul of the place, with its very essence,” said Bonnell.”
“…as time passed, our day-to-day experiences on campus and in the city and country were in some way subtly weaving themselves into the fabric of our very being. These experiences and this place were actually becoming an integral part of who we are and how we define ourselves. And for most of us these changes have been overwhelmingly positive, welcomed, and have enabled us to grow and mature both individually and as a collective of professional colleagues at our college.”
Bonnell shared insight specifically with those new employees at CNA-Q.
“Embrace life in Doha and live it as the absolutely wonderful privilege and opportunity that it truly is. When the time comes to leave this special place, do so knowing that you have given your best and left behind at least a little more than you have taken away.”
The awards ceremony provided an opportunity for the campus to pause for reflection on the significance of the investment of time and energy employees have made to contribute to the immense success of the campus – Doha’s first technical college. College of the North Atlantic-Qatar is the leading technical school in Qatar, proudly training students from Qatar since 2002 in a wide range of areas including Business Studies, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences, Information Technology and Security Training.
Dr. Harald Jorch, President of CNA-Q, stated that the awards of the evening spoke to the commitment of employees, the quality of curriculum and the thriving partnership between the State of Qatar and College of the North Atlantic.
“CNA-Q has a great deal to be proud of and is looking forward to many more years of achievement.”
Christine Bolan, Dean of Health Sciences, Master of Ceremonies and Five Year Award recipient said, “I believe I can speak for my fellow recipients when I say it’s been an experience I wouldn’t have missed for the world.”
The awards ceremony was followed by a reception for all staff of CNA-Q.
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For more information contact:
Tanya Alexander
Public Relations Specialist, Qatar Project
College of the North Atlantic
tanya.alexander@cna.nl.ca
(709) 643-0811
+974-495-2144 (Qatar)