Community Engagement and Outreach

Besides its yearly calendar of programs and initiatives, QCDC has traditionally taken part in various national happenings and events, to ensure continuous and direct communication with the wider public.
QCDC has participated in Qatar National Day celebrations at Darb Al Saai and National Sport Day activities, besides other career fairs organized in Qatar.
Through its participation in such events, QCDC offers interactive activities to attract the public and raise career awareness through their engagement in edutainment activities.

International Conferences

QCDC continues to take part in international conferences and to collaborate with distinguished experts from around the world to enhance its contribution to capacity building in Qatar and to enable youth to better plan their career paths in line with the current and future needs of the country’s labor market.
These partnerships provide QCDC with an appropriate platform to communicate and interact with career guidance expects, academics and career counselors, as well as policy makers, within the framework of an environment that facilitates the exchange of expertise and research findings on relevant topics, to develop Qatar’s career guidance practices and guidelines.
In 2018, QCDC participated in the Asia Pacific Career Development Association conference and the UNESCO- International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC) forum after having participated in the International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance Conference in 2016.

Research Papers and Field Studies

QCDC is focused on promoting career knowledge through the publication of a number of periodicals, studies, and research papers related to career planning and guidance. Each year, QCDC features new programs, services and activities that proved to be efficient, according to its latest research efforts. The Center has collected and analyzed a wealth of information over previous years and assessed activities, surveys and studies, which have contributed to the development of new initiatives and programs that will benefit youth and have a positive impact on the labor market.

As part of its efforts, QCDC has undertaken several research initiatives including a 12-month research program to provide a comprehensive study on Qatar’s progress on the career guidance, planning and development fronts.

The initiative, entitled ‘Careering Towards A Sustainable Qatari Economy’, focused exclusively on the Qatari population and featured a survey of over 1,000 students, graduates and parents, as well as respondents from various segments of senior stakeholders across the government and private sectors.

The ‘Role of career guidance in aligning the aspirations and skills of Qatar’s youth with the needs of the Qatari economy’ was the main theme behind the research that evaluated the perceptions and attitude towards career awareness and development in Qatar. The study expanded on the existing body of research by focusing on the central topic of ‘career culture’ and how this latter can be inculcated while taking into consideration the vital need to diversify the economy beyond the traditional oil and gas resource sector.

The Center also produced two research papers on “The Role of Career Guidance in the Preparation, Placement and Development of Qatar National Workforce” and “Career Aspirations, Guidance and Mobility: Achieving “Quality Qatarization”.

The Learning Center’s Community Transition Program

As part of the Awsaj Academy’s framework, and in partnership with The Learning Center (TLC), QCDC has launched a two-tier Community Transition Program (CTP). The CTP pilot project caters to students with no access to Awsaj Academy’s general curriculum and aims at preparing them to join the professional world.
The program started with a pilot internship program for two High School Social Communication Class (HS SCC) students at QCDC, a major breakthrough to assist them in their transition from education to adulthood, a series of weekly workshops to the HS SCC class for two months, as well as TLC students’ participation in the 2018 Career Village.
Given the pilot program’s huge success and upon the request of parents and the TLC administration, this initiative will continue throughout the 2018-2019 academic year.

Awsaj Academy Program

QCDC and Awsaj Academy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at enhancing the delivery of career guidance services at Awsaj Academy.

The initiative aims at enhancing Awsaj Academy’s delivery of career guidance services through a four-step process that falls in line with the best international practices and adapts specially selected models into the local context in a bid to help guide youth into making informed choices about their career future. The initiative also creates more opportunities for students and graduates to grow their skills, reshape society’s approach to education and learning, and establish local career ecosystems that work.

Career Counselors Training Program

QCDC, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Qatar, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, launched the Career Counselors Training Program in 2015 to provide comprehensive career development services across Qatar.

The program falls in line with QCDC’s belief in the important role that career counselors play in coordinating and efficiently managing academic and career counseling services. The program highlights the principles of career guidance and provides level-specific training to counselors and equips them with the tools and resources they need to ensure that the youth will receive better career and academic counseling services. Since career and college counseling is very new to public schools and the majority of private schools in Qatar, the program equips counselors with the resources, knowledge, and strategies they need to effectively guide students in their career and college planning as well as the college admission process. The program features a series of lectures, guided group activities, group assignments, and presentations.

Career Advisor Training Course

The Career Advisor Training Course (CATC) was brought into Qatar and the GCC region by QCDC. The course is the first customized training program for career advisors in Qatar and is powered by Kuder. Inc, a world leader in career planning services.
The CATC aims to equip individuals with the basic skills and essential knowledge of career advising and planning, and provide them with tools and activities so that they can assist our youth to embark on ultimate career journeys.
The bilingual training course brings together career advisors, academic and vocational counselors, human resources personnel, professors, instructors, scholars, and parents who play a key role in their children’s career decisions.

Career Guidance Stakeholders Platform

The Career Guidance Stakeholders Platform was envisioned as an informal cross-organizational network that brings together students, parents, counsellors, career advisors, researchers, and decision-makers in the area of career guidance in Qatar.
Its overall purpose is to encourage all stakeholders of career guidance in reflective processes for collaboration, innovation, exchange of knowledge, research findings and best practices in order to advance and support career guidance as a powerful means for human development across Qatar.
A year following its establishment in 2015, the Career Guidance Stakeholders Platform developed into a comprehensive platform that brings together all stakeholders under one umbrella. The platform’s purpose is to engage all stakeholders in the process of developing an “integrated career guidance system in Qatar.” In other words, the platform aims to facilitate the development of a specialized system to help Qatari youth discover their talents and capitalize on their potential in order to meet their future needs and aspirations and contribute to the development of the Qatari economy in general.

Career Awareness Center

QCDC launched a Career Awareness Center at KidzMondo Doha. The first of its kind worldwide edutainment city-based center familiarizes children and youth with career guidance concepts, and offers training to guide its young visitors toward career choices that align with their interests and skills.

Through this QCDC-affiliated Career Awareness Center, QCDC is able to engage children whom it previously had no contact with, and help them to explore their optimal career paths by using an approach that is both educational and recreational. Children learn how to write a successful CV and gain insight into different disciplines, supporting them to choose the career path that best matches their qualifications and skills as they engage in activities and games that QCDC have specifically designed to suit different age groups.

Career Advising System

A new career advising system by QCDC that is unique, as it provides a tailor-made solution that factors in Qatar’s social and economic conditions. (more…)

‘Career Guide’ Magazine

An annual, specialized and bilingual magazine that offers valuable articles and career tips to inform and educate Qatari youth, parents, and experts in the fields of career guidance and human development.
The Career Guide features a series of articles that highlight career development-related priorities in Qatar, as well as successful professionals from various sectors, who discuss their work experience and provide valuable advice to youth.

QCDC produces the Career Guide to be a source of knowledge for the youth, whether school or university students, graduates, as well as parents, researchers, professionals in the fields of career guidance and development and human development. In 2016, the Career Guide became the first specialized publication by QF to feature a smartphone application on both Apple Store and Google Play Store.
The magazine is distributed to universities and educational organizations, ministries, government and private institutions, and other youth clubs and entities across Qatar, while QCDC also arranges regular visits to schools across the country to introduce the magazine to students, teachers and counselors.

Career Ambassadors Program

The Career Ambassadors Program’s vision draws inspiration from QCDC’s motto, ‘Your Future in Your Hands.’ It aims to create a motivating and supportive environment for Qatari youth, empowering them to build up their personal capabilities and competencies.
The program is an effective tool that contributes to the promotion of youth initiatives and embodies a long-term investment in young Qatari leadership who will play an integral role in paving the way for a prosperous future for Qatar.
The program aims to raise awareness among Qatari youth around career development and equips students with the necessary skills to enable them to optimize their career and specialization plans.
Each school nominates 5 or 6 students from grades 10 and 11, who participate in a series of training and development workshops offered by QCDC over the course of 3 months. These participating students act as QCDC’s ambassadors at their schools, where they are responsible for sharing the knowledge they have acquired with other students by organizing and engaging their colleagues in a range of activities, events, and workshops.

Career Development Workshop Series

An initiative launched by QCDC that aims to provide a series of career development workshops to help participants acquire the knowledge, skills and attitude necessary to manage their career paths on the long term.
The Career Development Workshop Series is designed specifically to facilitate learning career management skills, including career exploration, IT-based career development skills and career planning skills at certain stages in a career.

Career Village

Career Village is an initiative designed by QCDC to provide support for high school students and their parents, over several days. A day of the event is dedicated to public schools’ male students; another day is dedicated to public schools’ female students; while private school students and the public are welcomed on other days.
Career Village brings together representatives of leading Qatar-based organizations and institutions from numerous industries including: education, business and finance, energy and manufacturing, communication and transportation, health, security, media and culture.
The initiative aims to instill a strong career culture among Qatari high school students and to familiarize them with the dynamics and challenges of Qatar’s labor market.
The event introduces students to career fields that enable them to best serve their country. Career Village also contributes to educating students on academic specialties and career opportunities through discussions with representatives of companies, institutions and universities taking part in the village. Students also have a chance to participate in interactive activities, offered by these institutions, to learn about different professions.

Career Camps

Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) organizes summer and winter Career Camps offering high school students a stimulating experience that will assist them in making informed academic and career decisions.
The camps feature a variety of activities and educational programs, as well as stimulating workshops that have been designed to provide students with a practical skill set and knowledge that can help inspire them when planning their career and academic paths. The camps also offer opportunities for site visits and job shadowing programs at leading organizations in Qatar, providing students with first-hand knowledge of workplace environments to give them a glimpse into career and professional life and help them match their abilities and skills with various career choices.
The camps also feature a variety of recreational, sports and educational activities. These activities aim to equip students with a wide range of personal and life skills as well as to bolster their self-confidence, communication skills, and teamwork among other skills that will come in handy when entering the labor market.
The final day of each camp features an introductory session about universities in Qatar. Representatives of these universities provide students with an overview of their academic programs and admission requirements, which will help students make informed academic decisions and prepare for university life. The camps are open to both boys and girls, with separate classes held for each group of students.