November, 2026
Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) Preparation Program
03:00 pm - 09:00 pm Multaqa, Education City
Overview
Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), founded by Qatar Foundation, and Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) are collaborating to deliver the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) Preparation Program, a specialized professional development program aimed at strengthening career guidance capacity in Qatar.
Bringing together QCDC’s expertise in career guidance and development with QFBA’s experience in professional education and training, the program responds to the growing need for qualified practitioners who can support individuals in navigating increasingly diverse educational and career pathways and adapting to evolving labor-market requirements.
Through structured learning, practical tools, and applied training, participants will develop core competencies in career guidance and prepare toward earning the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) certification awarded by the National Career Development Association (NCDA).
The program contributes to broader national efforts to strengthen human capacity, improve the quality of career guidance services, and support more informed education-to-employment decision-making in Qatar.
Target Audience
The program is designed for professionals and practitioners whose roles involve supporting individuals in making educational, career, or employment-related decisions, including:
- University graduates and jobseekers seeking to work in the field of career guidance and counseling.
- Talent acquisition specialists.
- Career services providers and career counselors.
- Career and academic counselors working in schools and universities.
The program may also provide a professional pathway for graduates from relevant disciplines who are seeking to enter the field of career guidance and career services.
Pre-requisites
Participants who have a professional or academic background relevant to career guidance, education, counseling, human resources, youth development, employability, training, or a related field will have priority in registration.
As the program prepares participants toward the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) credential, applicants will also be expected to meet any applicable training, attendance, assessment, and certification requirements associated with the program and subsequent credentialing process.
Final admission criteria, required qualifications, professional experience requirements, and any prerequisites for pursuing the CCSP credential are subject to confirmation by QCDC and QFBA.
Program Objectives
The Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) Preparation Program aims to:
- Build participants’ knowledge and practical competencies in professional career guidance and development.
- Strengthen participants’ ability to support individuals in making informed educational and career decisions.
- Introduce recognized career development theories, methods, assessment approaches, and ethical standards and their application in practice.
- Develop practical skills relevant to different career guidance settings and beneficiary groups.
- Strengthen practitioners’ understanding of employability, career information, technology, and evolving labor-market requirements.
- Prepare participants for the subsequent stages of the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) credentialing process.
- Contribute to developing a stronger pool of qualified career guidance practitioners in Qatar.
Program Description
The program runs over seven weeks, from 2 November to 14 December 2026, with training delivered every Monday and Wednesday from 3 to 9pm, with each session lasting six hours, including a one-hour break.
Participants are required to complete at least 10 core training units, in addition to fulfilling all requirements associated with applying for the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) credential.
The program includes training and supervision through the certification pathway, culminating in a detailed review and mock-exam discussion to support participants in preparing for the credentialing process.
The program comprises 120 training hours across 13 core areas of career guidance and development, combining theoretical foundations with practical application to build the competencies required for effective professional practice:
- Basic Helping and Facilitation Skills: Develop core career guidance skills and the ability to establish productive professional relationships that support individuals throughout the career development process.
- Career Resources and Labor Market Information: Build an understanding of labor-market information, career resources, and emerging market trends, while strengthening the ability to identify, evaluate, and use relevant information sources.
- Career Program Management and Implementation: Learn how to design and implement career development programs and contribute effectively to collaborative partnerships supporting career services.
- Career Development Models and Theories: Understand key career development theories, models, and techniques and how they can be applied to diverse groups to identify individual needs and select appropriate interventions.
- Formal and Informal Assessment Approaches and Validity: Develop the ability to understand and use formal and informal career assessments, with a focus on selecting appropriate tools for students, jobseekers, and different segments of the national workforce.
- Diversity and Population-Specific Needs: Explore the characteristics and needs of a multicultural workforce and understand key diversity trends relevant to the Qatari context.
- Employability Skills: Develop knowledge of job-search strategies, employment techniques, and approaches that support individuals in navigating the employment process.
- Training and Program Promotion: Build skills in preparing and developing training materials, presentations, and learning activities that support the delivery and promotion of career development programs.
- Professional Ethics and Regulations: Understand professional ethical standards for career practitioners and become familiar with the laws and regulations governing career guidance services.
- Promotion and Public Relations: Learn approaches to marketing and promoting career guidance and career development programs among employees, supervisors, and other relevant stakeholders.
- Technology in Career Guidance Services: Explore the use of digital applications and career development technologies to enhance the delivery of career guidance services.
- Consultation, Supervision, and Professional Feedback: Develop the ability to receive and apply feedback from consultants and supervisors as part of continuous professional development and improvement in career guidance practice.
- Practical Application: Undertake practical career guidance experience under the supervision of Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) through participation in Al-Dileela, enabling participants to apply their learning and strengthen their professional skills in a real-world practice environment.
Program Trainers
The program will be delivered by experienced specialists in career counseling, career development, higher education, and professional training.
Dr. Khalifa AlYafei
Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA), Dr. AlYafei has more than 12 years of experience in higher education, career counseling, student recruitment, employability, and coaching. His previous roles include Director of Student Affairs at QFBA, Lecturer at QFBA | Northumbria University, Manager of National Scholarships at Sidra Medicine, Career Counselor at Penn State University, and Student Recruitment and Outreach Specialist at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. He holds a PhD in Higher Education from Lancaster University and an M.Ed. in Career Counseling from Penn State University, and is a Certified Facilitating Career Development Instructor.
Dr. Mahmood Salim Almaawali
Assistant Professor of Counseling in the Psychology Department at Sultan Qaboos University, Dr. Almaawali specializes in counseling and career counseling, with experience spanning career assessment, program design, wellness counseling, teaching, research, and clinical practice in Oman and the United States. He holds a PhD in Counselor Education and an M.Ed. in Career Counseling from The Pennsylvania State University. His professional credentials include Certified Career Counselor (CCC), Global Career Development Facilitator (GCDF), and Career Development Trainer (FCD Trainer) with the National Career Development Association (NCDA).
Dr. Hamda Alnaimi
Dr. Alnaimi has extensive experience in career guidance, higher education, scholarship administration, and career consultancy. She previously served as Director of Arab States, Asia, and Australia Scholarships at the Higher Education Institute and as a Career Counselor in Qatar. She holds a PhD in Career Guidance – Higher Education from the University of Reading and is an FCD Certified Instructor and Certified Career Counselor (CCC) with the National Career Development Association (NCDA).
Program at a Glance
| Program | Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) Preparation Program |
| Organized by | Qatar Career Development Center and Qatar Finance and Business Academy |
| Dates | 2 November–14 December 2026 |
| Duration | 7 weeks |
| Sessions | 13 sessions |
| Training Days | Mondays and Wednesdays |
| Time | 3-9pm |
| Session Duration | 6 hours, including a 1-hour break |
| Instructional Hours | 120 hours |
| Certification Pathway | Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) |
| Credentialing Body | National Career Development Association (NCDA) |
| Language(s) | Arabic and English |
| Venue | Multaqa (Education City Student Cetner) |
| Program Fee | QAR8,000 |
| Registration | https://www.qfba.edu.qa/public-courses/details/certified-career-advisor-preparation-program |
