Students from all over the world participating in Total Summer School 2013 in Paris, France.
DOHA: Total E&P Qatar sponsored four students to participate in ‘Total Summer School’, which was held in Paris from June 30 to July 5 this year. The students are majoring in electrical engineering, computer engineering and petroleum engineering in Qatar University and Texas A&M University at Qatar.
The week-long summer school session featured 120 students from all over the world who analysed and discussed major energy issues and challenges alongside key managers and a number of experts from the fields of science, research and business.
The summer school’s programme provided the students an overview of the strategy and management issues facing major international oil, energy and chemical companies, and the various economic, geopolitical, energy diversification, environmental, social and managerial issues were discussed at round tables, presentations and workshops. Students were encouraged to contribute actively to the programme, share ideas, express their views and ask questions about the main topics of the seminar.
Maha Al Sayegh, a petroleum engineering student and one of the students who participated in Total Summer School, was motivated to enrol as she wanted to be more aware of Total’s strategy and various energy-related topics, as well as to expose herself to diverse cultures.
Al Sayegh said: “I am thankful that Total gave us this opportunity. The most valuable thing I learned is to have patience and work in groups with people of different ages and backgrounds, and we achieved this by having different activities together such as team building and workshops. This has made me more confident and more informed about the industry, and also gave me an idea of what qualities a successful global company looks for while recruiting employees”.
Amna Al Jaber, a senior at Texas A&M University, said she applied to Total Summer School to build an international network and challenge herself by interacting and working with people from different backgrounds, while learning to value teamwork and respect other cultures and values.
“After the Total Summer School experience, I value teamwork and I am eager to communicate with people from all around the world. Furthermore, I am now more willing to study and work abroad If I am given the chance in future”, added Amna.
Upon the return of the students, Stephane Michel, managing director of Total E&P Qatar, commented: “The main aim of the Summer School is to help students achieve a better outlook on the oil and gas economy, the future of energy as well as its impact on the environment. We selected four talented students to participate in this training in Paris not only to interact with experts from all over the world, but also to share ideas with other students from different countries from the same age group. This has proved to be a great platform for fruitful intercultural exchanges. Total values human development as one of the key elements to the successful future of Qatar, and has committed to contribute to this factor by training and sharing its expertise with promising Qatari students”.
This week, Total launched its International Scholarship Programme, which will provide four Qatari nationals the opportunity to spend one year in France to further their education in the most prestigious schools.
Total’s International Scholarship Program is based on partnerships with leading universities in 26 countries around the world. Since 2004, every year, about 100 high-potential scholars are selected from institutions of higher education and partner oil companies to benefit from high-quality education in top French schools and universities. The programme offers the scholars the opportunity to enrol in master of engineering, MBA and doctoral programmes in a wide range of subjects, from petroleum and engineering to economics, management, political science, law and public affairs.
THE PENINSULA
