QCDC event focuses on comprehensive career guidance

Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), will hold the Career Guidance Stakeholders 2022 event today aiming to enhance comprehensive career guidance services with career guidance services at all levels of schools and to include people with special needs.“Our main desire is for the stakeholders to continue embracing the platform as a viable national networking and synergy building mechanism that can position career guidance in Qatar in its’ rightful place," Effrosyni Parampota, senior career programmes & Services Officer at QCDC told, Gulf Times. "Through this collaborative process, we want to further promote working on both key operational and strategic issues aligned with the QNV pillar on human capital development in the country,” she explained.“We want to capitalise on the experiences to strengthen career guidance services through multiple channels, streamline, and strengthen the provision of career guidance in schools that are currently limited to high school settings to both primary and secondary level. This also includes people with special needs who often complete their secondary education without adequate career management skills and deal with many challenges,” said Parampota. The official also said that by collecting evidence to address skills’ gaps and emergent future demands, QCDC hopes to boost the employability of higher education graduates who have been adversely affected by the pandemic, as well as support adult workforce transitioning and upskilling.With the theme, “Accelerating Human Capital Development through Career Guidance under the QNV2030,” the event aims to foster a much-needed dialogue among the stakeholders and to accelerate the human capital development process towards 2030 goals.“Special attention is paid also to people with special needs, their transition from secondary education, and how to encourage employers to create more inclusive workplaces. For this Focus Group we are fortunate to join hands with other international experts like Prof Stephen Shore, who is an acclaimed advocate for neurodiversity and autism globally,” the official said.Parampota said that based on the summary of recommendations produced in 2018, QCDC gained a new focus on developing impactful projects, producing literature based on research, and fostering strategic partnerships locally and abroad. “We developed a comprehensive national approach plan, that includes a set of national level projects, such as the National Career Guidance Framework and a Qualification Programme for Career Practitioners in collaboration with an international educational consortium. We accelerated the efforts to upskill local practitioners through an international course that has been contextualised to fit the local socioeconomic context and benchmark their skills against international standards,” she said. Meanwhile, Max Tunon, head of the ILO Office in Doha, said that as echoed recently by the Shura Council, there is a need to link education outputs to the needs of the labour market to facilitate a successful and equitable transition into the labour market. “Career guidance can also contribute to the structural transformation of the Qatari economy, including by facilitating the transition of Qatari nationals into the private sector, and promoting innovation and diversification. Guidance promotes the development of a more adaptative and resilient workforce, which can result in competitive gains for enterprises,” Tunon said.He commented that career guidance services and activities help people identify and seize training and job opportunities in line with interests and personal goals. “The provision of career guidance and employment services is one of the primary active labour market policies a government can adopt. To be effective, services must be human-centered and also take into account the evolving needs of the labour market, the availability of training institutions, and the broader national economic objectives,” he said.The ILO official also said that career guidance should assist individuals of any age and at any point throughout their lives in making educational, training and occupational choices.“Youth can be supported in choosing a profession that responds to existing and future skills needs in the economy, and to be autonomous in managing their careers. Higher education students can be supported in developing job-relevant skillsets and establishing contacts in the labour market. In line with the national strategy to increase female labour force participation, options for young women can be diversified, including in professions that have traditionally been male-dominated,” he added.