DOHA: Minister of Education and Secretary General of the Supreme Education Council (SEC) H E Saad bin Ibrahim al Mahmoud, has issued an order increasing the allowance given to students attending vocational schools at different levels.

According to the new order, the third year students will get a monthly allowance of QR3000. The second and first year students will get QR2000 and QR1000 respectively. The decision is effective from the current academic year.

The Minister’s order is aimed at encouraging more students to enroll in vocational schools, as there is a high demand for freshly graduated hands-on employees among the industrial companies and corporations.

In 2007, the SEC executive committee gave Qatar Petroleum Corporation a five-year license to operate a vocational school. The agreement was a giant step and turning point in the vocational education in the country.

The Qatar Technical School adopted the Technical and Further Education (TAFE), a system that gives students access to the best education set on international standards as well as enabling them to continue their studies in reputable universities abroad. This will ultimately be complemented with recruitment prospects in the oil and gas companies and the public sector.

The school offers many specializations from Grade 11, including mechanical and electrical engineering; and industrial processing technology programmes, business administration as well as Information Technology (IT).