The US embassy, in partnership with Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), a member of Qatar Foundation, and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Academic and Career Advising Office, has conducted the fourth annual Career Counsellors
Training Programme.
Counsellors from more than 70 government and private schools participated in this year’s programme.
US chargé d’affaires (ad interim) William Grant commended the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s Office of Academic and Career Advising and QCDC for their efforts in supporting a career development and life skills programme in Qatar’s schools.
“We are proud to partner with the Academic and Career Advising Office at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education and QCDC for a fourth year on this programme. Career guidance and life skills training is integral for preparing students for a successful future in the workforce, and we applaud the work of the ministry, in particular, and its core of dedicated counsellors and educators for making these important programmes possible,” he said.
Jane Lowery, an expert counsellor with more than 30 years’ experience in the field of career and college counselling, led the participants through more than 25 sessions over the course of five days, including a ‘mock admissions committee’ activity that provided counsellors with a first-hand look at how college admissions decisions are made.
Special guest speakers, including admissions officers from Georgetown University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, Texas A&M University at Qatar and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, provided complementary sessions to ensure that counsellors received a variety of input from experts in the field.
Abdullah al-Mansoori, director, QCDC, said the centre was pleased to partner with the US embassy in Qatar and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to contribute to efforts aimed at fostering a career guidance culture in Qatar.
“The Career Counsellors Training Programme complements and builds on the training QCDC has offered to more than 70 counsellors on the use and integration of our Career Advising System, which QCDC recently launched across public schools in Qatar to offer career guidance services for students. We will continue to assess new opportunities to further equip counsellors with the necessary skills to support Qatari youth, the main target and ultimate beneficiaries of QCDC’s various programmes,” al-Mansoori explained.
The head of the Academic and Career Advising Office at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, commented on the importance accorded to academic and career counselling, in recognition of the latter’s role in raising the awareness and preparedness of youth towards choosing the educational and professional paths most suitable to their skills.
She said, “Both HE Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, Minister of Education and Higher Education, and Fawziya al-Khater, appointed Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs, have been paying the greatest attention to the ministry’s initiative to improve academic counselling for secondary education. This initiative aims to provide a variety of learning opportunities which enable students to build their capacities in order to effectively contribute to the workforce in Qatar and society as a whole.”
“We value our partnership and collaboration with the American embassy and QCDC and appreciate their role in educating students in service of Qatar
National Vision 2030.”
Speakers at the programme.
