Bedaya Centre for Entrepreneurship and Career Development has organised three job shadowing programmes for 118 high school and university students this year, together with partners Qatar Career Fair (QCF), Al Jazeera Training Centre, QNB, Hamad Medical Corporation, QDB, Qatar Foundation (QF) and Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC).

Organisations have been using job shadowing as an effective tool for learning and career development since the 1990s as a bridge between school and work.

It is now widely acknowledged as a key on-the-job learning, career development and leadership development tool.

Although a short-term experience, job shadowing gives students a close look at people doing their jobs, by walking through the work day as a shadow to a competent worker.

Ola Abdin, Bedaya Centre’s career development adviser, explained: “Job shadowing as a work experience option is very effective for helping students develop their knowledge, skills and experience and absorb the values, norms and standards of an organisation. It allows students to see and then demonstrate and practise job skills in action.

“It also helps students understand how to develop relationships with current employees, customers
and vendors. As a temporary, unpaid exposure to the workplace in an occupational area of interest to the student, job shadowing immerses each student in the world of work, where very real and tangible options come alive for them.”

Afraa al-Wadaani of QCF added, “Job shadowing also brings together employers with potential future employees among the students who are job shadowing and thus creates valuable relationships in the workplace to leverage for their future careers.

“Students witness first-hand the work environment, employability and occupational skills in practice, and the value of professional training and potential career options. Job shadowing is designed to increase career awareness, help model student behaviour through examples and reinforce in the student the link between classroom learning and work requirements.”

Bedaya’s job shadowing programmes include a job shadowing week in June, targeted high schools, university students and learning and development practitioners. Students were offered job shadowing opportunities at QOC, QF, Sidra, Msheireb Properties, Al Jazeera, Hamad hospital, Qatar Civil Aviation Authority, QSTP and QChem - potentially to take them on as interns later.