Latest news with #AlKharji
Qatar Tribune
06-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
‘My Career – My Future' programme kicks off
QNA Doha Organised by the Qatar Foundation-founded (QF) Qatar Career Development Centre (QCDC), the 7th edition of the 'My Career – My Future' programme kicked off on Sunday with the participation of more than 250 high school students from schools across Qatar to experience job-shadowing placements in 25 public and private sector entities. Held at Multaqa (Education City Student Centre), the opening event saw high school students and participating entity representatives briefed on the programme's agenda and activities, receiving a detailed explanation about the immersive career exploration experience. During his opening speech, Executive Director of QCDC Saad Abdulla Al Kharji said that since its launch seven years ago, the programme has been successful and flourishing year by year, just as the youth's ambitions are blossoming and hopes for their future are growing. Al Kharji added that through this event, a window to the future is opened for the youth to see their career aspirations manifested on the ground. A single week is enough to open their eyes to the realities of the workplace and instil confidence in them, he said, adding that the impact of previous editions was evident in students' eyes upon their return from their training sites, coming out of those experiences more mature and with clearer visions. 'We at QCDC believe that true investment is in people and strive to empower the youth to choose their own paths after providing them with the tools and experiences that support sound decision-making,' he added. The programme aims to provide high school students in grades 10, 11, and 12 with the opportunity to experience real professional environments and interact directly with experienced professionals, which helps to raise students' awareness of the nature of various professions and supports them in making well-informed academic and career decisions aligned with their aspirations and abilities. Over the coming days, students will undergo an immersive career exploration experience through structured job shadowing placements across a wide range of national sectors. These include medicine, aviation, media and communications, telecommunications, business, financial services, judiciary, tourism, sport management, engineering, technology, humanitarian and social work, among other fields linked to Qatar's sustainable development.
Qatar Tribune
03-07-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
‘QCDC serves as a link betweeneducation and labour market'
QNA Doha Executive Director of the Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC) Saad Abdullah Al Kharji has affirmed the Centre's pivotal role as a strategic bridge between education and the labour market. He said that QCDC supports generations of students in preparing for future career paths through a comprehensive, year-round system of interactive programmes that span all stages of career development, from academic achievement to professional integration. Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Kharji emphasised the Centre's belief in the importance of early career intervention. He explained that QCDC implements a series of immersive career exploration initiatives, starting with the Little Employee programme. Over five editions, this initiative has engaged more than 2,000 children aged seven to 15, allowing them to accompany their parents to work and introducing them to foundational workplace concepts. Al Kharji also highlighted the Career Village event, which, in its latest edition, brought together over 40 public and private sector entities, including key players from various vital economic sectors. Since its inception in 2017, Career Village has provided hands-on, simulated career experiences to more than 12,000 high school students over six consecutive editions. He described Career Village as the first step in a student's journey of self-discovery, followed by the My Career - My Future programme, which offers a week-long internship experience tailored to students' academic and professional interests. The programme has so far trained over 500 male and female students, logging more than 12,000 cumulative training hours. A significantly expanded version of the programme is set to launch on Sunday, July 6, with more than 250 students placed across 25 organisations representing diverse sectors such as medicine, aviation, energy, media, communications, finance, business administration, judiciary, tourism, sports management, technology, engineering, humanitarian work, and other fields aligned with Qatar's sustainable development goals. Al Kharji noted that these programmes are part of a broader portfolio of professional services offered by QCDC, including the Dalila programme, which delivers personalised career guidance sessions. He also referenced the Your Professional Guide magazine, currently preparing its 16th issue for release at the start of the 2025/2026 academic year, and pointed to specialised workshops organised at the request of institutions. Discussing QCDC's role in narrowing the gap between academic education and labour market needs, he underscored the value of experiential learning, field guidance, and awareness campaigns. These initiatives, he said, help students connect theoretical knowledge with practical application, thus supporting one of the core pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030: human capital development. He described the Centre as a key contributor to preparing a skilled and adaptable national workforce. On sector prioritisation, Al Kharji explained that QCDC targets two main groups of industries. The first includes strategic sectors like energy, manufacturing, finance, aviation, transport, and advanced healthcare, which form the backbone of Qatar's economy. The second group encompasses emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, big data, renewable energy, fintech, and sports, sectors brimming with promising future opportunities. He noted that these selections are based on labour market analysis, consultations with education and labour stakeholders, and QCDC-conducted surveys that reflect youth interests and aspirations. He also elaborated on the Centre's adoption of an integrated, diagnostic approach to career guidance. This is powered by an advanced electronic system that incorporates psychological assessments, personality analysis, and customised recommendations. Through the Dalila programme, students receive five individualised sessions, culminating in concrete academic and career action plans. Evaluation studies, he said, have shown a measurable increase in students' awareness levels following participation.
Skift
22-05-2025
- Business
- Skift
Qatar Wants Tourists Who Stay Longer
Qatar's tourism numbers grew by around 25% last year, but the real focus is on increasing how long people stay and how much they spend. Qatar's new goal for tourism isn't to have the most travelers in the region – it wants travelers who stay longer and spend more, according to the chairman of Qatar Tourism, Saad Bin Ali Al Kharji. "I'm not looking to drive the [visitor] numbers high, rather [to increase] people staying longer and increase the quality of visitors," said Al Kharji at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on Wednesday. Qatar had 9.95 million room nights last year, according to Qatar Tourism data, referring to the total number of rooms occupied. The country had around five million total tourists. "Everyone globally wants to increase their number of visitors. We are focused more on room nights, though," said Al Kharji. "That's the most important [metric] for Qatar." Al Kharji said Qatar's room nights grew 22% last year. Accor CEO and chairman Sebastien Bazin was also on stage with Al Kharji. Accor is a major operator in Qatar and a member of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) sits on Accor's board. Bazin agreed that increasing the length of stay is key. "It costs a fortune to get people to Doha, so we need them to stay an extra two nights," he said. Bazin added that, even though Qatar gained visibility when it hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2022, more needs to be done to create awareness. On the topic of extending vacations, Bazin said that one of Qatar's shortcomings is that it doesn't have enough beach resorts. "The difficulty of this country, and it's one, and it's being addressed, it doesn't have enough luxury beach resort experiences," Bazin said. "They built it in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, they're doing it in Saudi Arabia, but Qatar is late. Most of the hotels [in Qatar] today don't have great beach access." "That's what is missing in this country. We need to go quick at it. We need to catch up." Responding to Bazin's point, Al Kharji said Qatar has stopped issuing new hotel licenses, unless they are beach projects. "We stopped licensing new hotels in Qatar, the only hotels I'll give licenses to are those on the beachfront," said the tourism chief. Qatar has around 40,000 hotel keys and 7,000 in the pipeline, Al Kharji said.
Qatar Tribune
21-05-2025
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Tourism contributed 8% to Qatar's GDP: Al Kharji
Tribune News Network Doha The contribution of the tourism sector to Qatar's GDP stood at QR55 billion in 2024, up 14% from the 2023 level, and 8% of the country's total economic output, Qatar Tourism Chairman Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji has said. Al Kharji made the statement while participating in a high-level panel discussion on 'Tourism in Focus' at the fifth edition of the Qatar Economic Forum (QEF) 2025. The session, moderated by Bloomberg Television anchor Joumanna Bercetche, featured Sébastien Bazin, Group Chairman and CEO of Accor, and explored key themes shaping the future of global tourism, including luxury and sustainability, economic resilience, health tourism, and emerging market trends. He assured that Qatar is well on track to achieving its Tourism Strategy 2030 goal of contributing 12% to GDP, highlighting the sector's increasing importance in the nation's broader economic diversification strategy. In 2024, international visitor arrivals reached 5million, a 25% year-on-year increase, with in-destination spend totalling nearly QR40 billion. The hospitality sector also achieved a key milestone, recording 10 million room nights sold during the year. As part of the panel, the Chairman highlighted how global travel demand is shifting towards lifestyle-driven and purpose-led experiences, such as wellness retreats, cultural immersion, and luxury nature-based getaways. He noted that travellers are increasingly prioritising experiences, such as bespoke accommodation, culinary exploration, and curated cultural activities, over traditional material spending. Qatar's strategy aligns with these trends, focusing on six high-potential demand spaces and delivering 54 strategic projects across product development, regulation, and visitor experience enhancement. He also discussed the expanding opportunities in regional collaboration, health tourism, and investment. He highlighted joint initiatives with Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, enhanced air connectivity with China, and Qatar's integrated health and wellness offerings. He also outlined major development projects such as the QAR 20 billion Simaisma coastal destination and ongoing expansions at Hamad International Airport, reinforcing Qatar's positioning as a premium, sustainable, and competitive global destination. Held under the theme 'The Road to 2030: Transforming the Global Economy,' the Qatar Economic Forum 2025 convened global leaders to examine key topics including geopolitics, technology, energy security, investment, and the future of sports and entertainment.
