Qatar Career Fair (QCF), a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, has recommended the development of an integrated career guidance system at the 2016 edition of the Career Guidance Stakeholders Platform.
The new system will be based on a joint action plan to strengthen collaboration among career guidance stakeholders in Qatar.
The theme of this year’s platform, was ‘Evidence-based insights into strategic collaboration among career guidance stakeholders in Qatar’. It was the first event of its kind in Qatar and brought together more than 150 experts in the field of career guidance.
QCF director, Abdulla al-Mansoori, said: “Through this meeting and the subsequent recommendations, we are taking a step forward in empowering Qatari youth and helping young men and women to meet their professional aspirations, which will ultimately support Qatar’s economic needs. Through collaboration, we aim to support innovation, knowledge sharing and the exchanging of research findings, while promoting best practices in the field of career guidance.”
Experts wrapped up the event with a set of strategic recommendations including the establishment of a national committee of  stakeholders in the area of career guidance from various government institutions and private organisations. The committee will be tasked with the development of a strategy to co-ordinate efforts in the area of career guidance within the framework of Qatar’s Education and Training Sector Strategy 2017-2022.
Participants also called for the establishment of a national body to promote career guidance.The body is to develop and implement specific policies within a national joint action framework to ensure the workforce’s access to professional development through education and training.
Other recommendations include making use of Qatar’s advanced IT infrastructure to create and develop an electronic system for career guidance in order to help advance the human development pillar of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
For the short-term, participants recommended the preparation of booklets about the fundamentals of career guidance. These booklets will be accessible to the public, particularly youth, both in print and online.
Participants also stressed the importance of efforts to support the professional development of all the segments of society throughout the different educational stages, in addition to the organisation of events, activities and lectures to raise awareness among students about the importance of guidance in choosing a career path. The recommendations also included the creation and implementation of a co-ordinated programme whereby professional development centres at universities and colleges across Qatar partner to promote a culture of counselling and career guidance among university students.
The event featured an expert panel discussion as well as four breakout sessions. A number of policy-makers also participated in two roundtable discussion groups.