Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) has successfully wrapped up the third edition of its Career Counselors Training Program. The annual event, organised in partnership with the US Embassy in Qatar, and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, was tailored this year to provide level-specific training to Independent school counsellors.
More than 23 newcomers participated in beginner sessions on how best to guide young students to make informed academic and career decisions, while 33 experienced counselors joined discussions on issues such as the impact of counselor training programmes and efforts to professionalise career guidance practices. A number of key presentations were open to both beginner and experienced participants.
Margo McCoy, a US licensed professional counsellor, and Patrick Desbarats, Head of the Counselling and College Placement at the American School of Doha (ASD), delivered more than 15 presentations over a five-day period on topics ranging from post-secondary school options for students, to identifying the pillars of career and educational counselling.
Abdullah Al Mansoori, Director of QCDC, a member of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF), said the latest edition of the programme was designed to capitalise on its success in previous years.
“By tailoring sessions to match school counselors’ level of experience, QCDC sought to ensure that all participants gained the most from taking part in this important programme, enabling them to empower Qatari youth to better serve the nation,” Al Mansoori said.
Echoing Al Mansoori, Noor Al Maadheed, Head of Academic Counselling, Department of Educational Supervision at the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, highlighted the workshop’s contribution to unlocking human potential among academic counselors.
“The programme lays the foundations for the promotion of a career guidance culture in Qatar. It aims to provide counselors with the necessary knowledge to guide students into choosing the right career path that will ultimately enable the local students to contribute to the creation of a sustainable, competitive, and diversified economy in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030,” Al Maadheed said.
“I would like to thank QCDC and the US Embassy in Qatar for their efforts in organising this programme and hope for further collaboration in the coming years.”
Nahid Lawson, Education Advisor at the US Embassy in Qatar, said: “We are very pleased that for the third consecutive year we were able to collaborate with QCDC and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education to provide much-needed training for school counsellors.
