Students during an event organised by Qatar Career Development Centre prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
Doha: The digital transformation that Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), a member of Qatar Foundation, has embraced since the outbreak of COVID-19 had a significant impact on program outreach.
Over one and a half million people have also interacted in some form with QCDC’s programs and social media campaigns, said Abdulla Al Mansoori, Director, QCDC.
“The number of individuals benefiting from our digital services doubled as we managed to engage an increasing number of students, parents and career practitioners,” he told The Peninsula.
“Since COVID-19 outbreak, QCDC has stepped up efforts to reach youth online and maintain their focus on career development so that they can make informed academic and career choices that reflect positively on the labour market and the economy of Qatar,” he added.
These initiatives include our Virtual Career Advising Services, which enables students to directly book online appointments to receive personalised career guidance services and gain access to other dedicated resources going forward. QCDC has already launched the latest edition of “My Career - My Future” program online for high school students. The program consisted of six dialogue sessions streamed live via Instagram, with the participation of people from different professions and disciplines.
“As part of the program, guests interacted online with students, elaborating on their profession and academic background before taking questions from participants to familiarise with career tracks and in-demand jobs in the Qatari labour market to help them make informed plans to bolster their academic and career prospects,” said Al Mansoori.
QCDC also launched Career Café, a series of free weekly online professional development sessions, bringing together career practitioners in Qatar to share their thoughts and ideas on how to navigate through these uncertain times and provide guidance to students.
“Other initiatives included our latest webinar series, which was aimed at informing and educating the local community on best local and international practices, and facilitating access to career development information for schools, students and families,” said Al Mansoori.
The series entitled “Congratulations for graduating from high school! What is next?” has familiarised students with university and college programs in Qatar, admission requirements and registrations deadlines, providing valuable information to students who had to rethink their plans to study abroad after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help students and their parents make informed choices, QCDC also hosted a live webinar entitled “Government Scholarships and In-demand Majors for the 2020-21 Academic Year” to educate families on government scholarships for the 2020-21 academic year, enrolment procedures and requirements, and registration deadlines.
QCDC also planned and launched two online awareness campaigns that offered students tips on working from home and familiarised youth with professions in demand amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
In collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Corporation, QCDC produced a series of video clips that shed light on medical professions at the forefront line of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. QCDC also released the electronic version of the 10th edition of its bilingual Career Guide, offering students a wealth of information and numerous career tips including advice for a ‘how to do better working from home’ experience amid the outbreak of the COVID-19. The Career Guide is available on the App Store and Google Play Store for parents and students to download and read during this time of quarantine.
QCDC also joined a list of prestigious Qatar-based contributors that include the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Justice, HBKU, and Qatar Digital Library, as well as international contributors Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and McGraw-Hill, to offer a wealth of valuable information through Qatar National Library’s Online Resources section.
