A group of Qatari employees at the country’s largest oil producer have completed the latest stage of a novel programme that aims to develop the leaders of tomorrow.
Maersk Oil’s Qatari Development Programme is open to employees early in their careers and bridges the gap between the academic environment of university and the skills needed to develop outstanding workplace performance, a press release Maersk Oil issued on Wednesday said.
Maersk Oil began the two-year Qatari Development Programme in November last year, as part of its revitalised Qatarization Strategy which includes a commitment to quadruple the number of Qataris in leadership and senior specialist positions by 2017.
HE Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahd Al-Thani, Maersk Oil Qatar’s Deputy Managing Director, said: ‘Qatarization is a core business priority for Maersk Oil. We’ve made great strides in the past five years by doubling the number of Qatari employees and increasing those with a Bachelors degree but we’re committed to attracting, developing and retaining even more Qatari leaders in the future.
Schemes like the Qatari Development Programme will help us do just that,’ HE Sheikh Faisal added.
For his part, HE Sheikh Jassim Bin Saoud Al-Thani, Maersk Oil Qatar’s Head of Qatarization, said: ‘The two-year Qatari Development Programme is a large investment by Maersk Oil in young Qataris, but it’s clearly paying off.
The programme is a key pillar of our Qatarization Strategy – we found that the first two years of employment was a critical period to develop Qatari employees and set career paths. Ultimately we want to provide faster, more structured career development,’ HE Sheikh Jassim Al Thani added.
The Qatari Development Programme includes a mixture of formal modules, and what are known as action learning sets, where smaller groups meet to discuss workplace issues, typically around prioritisation, problem solving and managing workloads.
Meanwhile Joanna Rawbone, Director of Scintillo – a specialist UK-based learning development company – is assisting Maersk Oil with the Qatari Development Programme. She said: ‘The action learning sets encourage the fourteen participants to be more resourceful when it comes to problem solving, so instead of looking to their manager, they can work through issues by themselves or with colleagues.
“This benefits them in their development as possible future leaders and also it ensures that Maersk Oil gains a skilled, enthusiastic and more diverse band of potential managers who can propel the business forward,” Rawbone added.
For his part, One of the programme’s participants, process engineer Aisha Ahmad Al-Nuaimi, has welcomed the development of so-called softer skills. She said: ‘ As an engineer, this is something different – it gives us skills to develop the other side of our personality, leadership skills, and communication with our colleagues. While companies usually focus on technical training, the Qatari Development Programme is unique, and it shows how Maersk Oil Qatar is keen to develop employees,’ she added.
One participant, engineer Hussam Al-Qatouni: said: ‘As an engineer, I think this programme will help my development, as it takes me from the technical side to the day-to-day aspect. If anyone thinks that their degree without skills in other areas will guarantee their development, I think this is wrong. We need to gain skills on how to manage our time, internal communications with our colleagues and managers, as well as other important areas,’ Al-Qatouni added.
The Qatari Development Programme is rooted in an exhaustive 12-month study that included a survey of employees and detailed mapping and analysis of best practice in Qatar and abroad.
It is noted that Maersk Oil is an international oil and gas company with operated production of about 600,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day from Denmark, the UK, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Algeria. Exploration activities are on-going in Angola, Norway, the US Gulf of Mexico, Greenland, Iraqi Kurdistan and in the producing countries.
Turning marginal and challenging fields into commercial successes has been the cornerstone of Maersk Oil’s business since 1962. Maersk Oil focuses on pioneering technologies and harnessing talent to continue to operate safely and successfully, creating value for partners and host governments. Maersk Oil is a fully-owned subsidiary of the global conglomerate, the A.P. Moller – Maersk Group.
Maersk Oil Qatar in partnership with Qatar Petroleum, operates one of the world’s most complex fields, offshore at Al Shaheen. It produces a third of Qatar’s oil. Turning marginal and challenging fields into successes has been the cornerstone of Maersk Oil’s growth since it began in 1962. This is particularly true in Qatar, where Maersk Oil took over the Al Shaheen field in the early 1990s at a time when others walked away. Maersk Oil has now recovered in excess of one billion barrels of oil from the field, which currently produces around 300,000 barrels of oil per day. Success has come from Maersk Oil’s experience, expertise and close relationships.
Source : Qatar News Agency
