Doha conference to hone leadership skills of college, university students

Around 400 students from colleges and universities across Qatar are to attend a first of its kind student leadership conference ‘Taqadam: Tanmeea, Enjaz, Qiaadah,’ (Grow, Achieve, Lead) on March 26 by Qatar University (QU) Student Affairs Sector.The conference is organised in conjunction with Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), Community College of Qatar (CCQ), College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNA-Q), University of Calgary in Qatar (UCQ), and Stenden University Qatar. It aims to leverage the students’ participation in leadership training, and to prepare their transition into the workplace. The conference was announced yesterday by QU vice-president for Student Affairs Dr Khalid al-Khanji, CNA-Q president Dr Ken MacLeod, CCQ dean Dr Abdulla Hazaimeh, HBKU’s director of student life Ameena Hussain.The conference will see the participants discuss, share knowledge, and learn strategies on driving change, developing leadership skills, and solving problems in a local, regional and global context.  Keynote speaker renowned intellectual Dr Jassim al-Sultan will present on “Tanmeea”. There are plenary sessions by beIN sportscaster and QU graduate Mohamed al-Kuwari and Aspire leadership training specialist Salah AlYafei. Dr al-Khanji described the conference as a significant opportunity to help students from higher education institutions across Qatar develop their communication and leadership skills, and acquire the know-how to apply them in real-life situations. “We look forward to the outcomes and recommendations that will emanate from these discussions that will ultimately benefit students and smooth their transition into the workplace.”Dr MacLeod observed that the true value of leadership is displayed when students have the opportunity to converse with, and learn from, their peers. Dr Hazaimeh said: “The Taqadam conference will provide us and our students with the opportunity to invest in leadership for the benefit of the society.”Hussain added that the conference marks a milestone in inter-institutional collaboration in the area of leadership development among higher education organisations in Qatar.