Doha, Qatar: Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), founded by Qatar Foundation (QF), concluded ‘Career Counselors Hub 2026,’ held on September 1–2 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), US Embassy Doha, and Qatar Foundation Higher Education, with the participation of more than 200 academic and career guidance professionals from schools, educational institutions, and organisations across Qatar.
The Hub featured 15 training sessions, workshops, and discussions in Arabic and English, through which participants gained practical knowledge and tools to strengthen their ability to guide students amid increasingly diverse academic pathways, changing skills requirements, and the rapid evolution of today’s labor market.
Commenting on the wider impact of investing in practitioners, Executive Director of QCDC Saad Abdulla Al-Kharji said, “The impact of developing one career counselor reaches every student they support. Our investment through the Hub is therefore an investment in the quality of the decisions young people are able to make about their education and future careers.”
“Over these two days, we have focused on giving counselors the expertise they need in their work. Strengthening this community of practitioners helps us build more consistent and effective guidance across the education system and better prepare young people for their transition into higher education and the labor market,” he added.
In the same context, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs at MoEHE, Maha Zayed Qaqaa Alruwaili said, “There is no doubt that the quality of academic and career guidance begins with the quality of counsellor preparation and their continuous development.
“Investing in the development of counsellors is a direct investment in students and in their ability to make more informed educational and career decisions, and to transition successfully into higher education and professional life. In this context, I would like to emphasize the Ministry of Education and Higher Education’s pivotal role in supporting counsellors’ professional development, given their position as key partners in preparing students for the future and strengthening their readiness for the requirements of education and the labour market.”
President of Higher Education at QF Dr. Francisco Marmolejo said, “By empowering career counsellors, we empower the ‘enablers of dreams’ who help students recognize their potential, navigate an evolving world, and confidently shape their own futures.”
Across the two-day programme, participants explored topics directly relevant to counsellors’ day-to-day practice, including university admissions, scholarship pathways, future labour-market skills, international study opportunities, artificial intelligence and its role in student guidance, career readiness, and professional development.
Participants also engaged directly with specialists and experts from the education sector, government entities, career development organisations, and international institutions, helping them translate acquired knowledge into more practical and effective guidance for students.
