Companies taking part in UK Career Fair urged to invest in Qatari talent

By Denise Marray/GT London CorrespondentMore than 2,000 Qatari students are presently studying in the UK and a good number of them are expected to attend the annual Career Fair, slated for February 20 and 21 in London, a Qatari embassy official has said.The embassy organises the Career Fair to introduce young Qatari talent to leading companies.Cultural attache, Mohamed al- Ka’abi, told Gulf Times that since its inception eight years ago, the Career Fair has become an important part of the student calendar. In its first year, 80 students attended, and of these 20 found sponsorships and employment with the participating companies. Last year, 250 students attended and 120 found sponsors through the event. This year, reflecting its growing significance, some 350 students have registered to participate.Ten leading Qatari companies across a range of business and industrial sectors will participate. For the students, this is an ideal opportunity to learn more about different career paths. The embassy generously covers the transport and accommodation costs incurred by the students for attending the two-day fair held in the capital.Al-Ka’abi urged the participating companies to recruit young Qatari talent. “What I want is for the companies to take more students. We need companies to focus on Qatari students and to take on at least 10 students,” he said.He added that this kind of ‘take up’ was expected of the participating companies, and made sense in the context of their investment of time and resources in attending the London fair. “It is not worth it to come all the way over (from Qatar) and take on just one or two students,” he observed.He urged companies to consider in-house training for graduates who have the potential to succeed but need to build on the knowledge base of their degrees.“Qataris want to serve their country. I believe that students who study here can be given in-company training in specialist areas, even if their degrees are not in the precise discipline,” he said.He also advised that many companies are seeking engineers, and that at the moment there is an oversupply of students graduating with degrees in business administration. Yousef Ali al-Khater, ambassador of Qatar to the United Kingdom, also emphasised that it was important for the participating companies to recruit Qatari talent. “I am trying to encourage the companies to take more students into their employment. The Career Fair is a very important event for our students and the embassy - we are trying to help students to find their future jobs,” he said.