Tribune News Network
Doha
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has launched the Future Engineer Programme 3 in cooperation with Qatar Scientific Club (QSC). The initiative targets high school students with the aim of familiarising them with the various specialisations and fields of engineering by offering several workshops in various engineering disciplines.
The programme commenced on July 14 and will run until July 24, with the participation of 30 students, who will receive useful and necessary engineering information through workshops and field visits in through Ashghal laboratories and departments and the laboratories and departments of the Qatar Scientific Club.
Students participating in the programme will learn about the tasks of Engineering Services Department and the nature of their work. Tours will be organised for the Quality and Safety Department to introduce the rules of safety, quality of chemically and biologically treated water and inspection of construction materials, they will also be introduced to the Drainage Operation and Maintenance Department and the bases and mechanisms for monitoring drainage systems.
At the Buildings Projects Department, the students will be introduced to the specialisations of engineers and receive a presentation on maps and view the design and details of any project.
In the second week of the programme, participants will receive training at the Qatar Scientific Club, which will serve as the practical part of the programme where they will learn about the concept of innovation, sustainable development goals and brainstorming workshop.
Participants will then undergo a hackathon in a race against time to turn their ideas into prototypes and verify in practical ways the hypotheses they have developed. The final model will be presented in the closing exhibition evaluated by engineers and field experts.
Engineer Abdulrahman Khamis, deputy executive director of Qatar Scientific Club, said: "The club’s management ensured that the Future Engineer programme was comprehensive and achieves the goal which is to train and prepare our future young students and familiarise them with the various engineering disciplines and encourage them to pursue these disciplines which the country needs and for them to become distinguished engineers in their respective specialties.”
He said, "We have also ensured that the programme is engineering-focused in terms of project selection and utilises the engineering method in transforming prototypes into a final executable model.”
He also appreciated the support of the Public Works Authority towards Future Engineer’s Programme, which reflects the Authority’s full commitment to its social responsibility towards the citizens of the country, stressing that the programme was the product of fruitful and constructive cooperation between the Ashghal and Qatar Scientific Club.
For his part, Abdulla Al Saad, Public Relations And Communications Department manager at the Public Works Authority, said that through the Future Engineer Programme 3, Ashghal aim to develop students’ scientific and practical abilities and skills, noting the importance of enabling future Qatari cadres and competencies, motivating their creative thinking in various fields and provide them with an opportunity to learn about various engineering disciplines and working environment closely.
He added that the students will participate in this edition of the Hackathon competition to find technological solutions to various problems faced in infrastructure projects by turning ideas and innovations into reality.
The competition’s outputs will be in the application of solutions developed by students.
He said, "We are pleased to cooperate with Qatar Scientific Club for the second year to enrich children’s’ summer in a way that would benefit them in their future working life while keeping with the future ambitions of the state.”
Rashid Saeed Al Hajri, manager of Human Resources Department at Ashghal, said: "At Ashghal, we pay great attention to our students of all academic levels, especially the secondary level, in choosing engineering majors in all its fields as a future academic specialisation to meet the needs of the labour market, and from this standpoint, the Authority will launch Future Engineer 3 programme, through which we at the Public Works Authority seek to refine the skills and capabilities of the students.
"The programme will be implemented in cooperation with the Qatar Scientific Club, in addition to participations from several departments of the Authority in providing programmes. We always aim to provide comprehensive and distinctive training programmes which develop the skills and human capabilities of students, which will be presented in two phases.
He added, "The first phase will be presented in Ashghal and will include lectures, workshops and field visits to simulate a realistic work environment. The second phase will be presented at Qatar Scientific Club, in the form of a hackathon competition (sustainability of construction) relying on the application of modern digital technology and its contributions to creativity, innovation and providing innovative ideas and solutions.”
Eman Al-Obaidi, QSC Public Relations and Communications Section head, said: "Engineering is the backbone of building nations and by which nations rise up. Therefore, our focus on engineering is a result of engineers being the ones who build the bases of the country’s advancement and success. All this made us focus on making our students have a productive summer by participating in a programme all about engineering.
"We hope that after all these potentials that have been developed are successful at all levels and will be the first step that determines the path of these students and opens up engineering horizons for them. We hope to see them in the near future as successful engineers who contribute to building our beloved country Qatar.”