The College of the North Atlantic has officially opened its Oil and Gas Training Centre in Qatar.

After several months working alongside representatives of the local oil and gas industry, the new college now boasts eight process pilot plants, giving students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience of chemical processes, alongside a thorough classroom education.

Speaking at the opening, College of the North Atlantic president Jean Madill, explained: "This is one of the premier oil and gas training centres in the region."

He added that the new facility would also allow for troubleshooting exercises to be carried out in a controlled environment capable of emulating real industry conditions, with local professionals set to work alongside contract training students.

Representatives of the state's Joint Oversight Board, the School of Engineering Technology and the local oil and gas industry were in attendance at the opening.

The news comes in the same week that Qatar's oil minister Abdullah al-Attiyah argued that global oil supplies remain strong and therefore Opec need not move to boost output to bring an end to the current global price hike.