Doha,April,07:Qatar Career Fair 2013, being held at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC), has evoked much interest among young Qatari jobseekers, but many prospective employers say that most graduates are looking for administrative jobs. Although there are plenty of openings for specialised jobs, there are few applicants due to a lack of interest from the graduates and a shortage of qualified hands. This situation makes it difficult for some graduates to get their preferred job. Many companies either recruit Qatari youth as trainees and develop their skills or provide them with scholarships so that they can specialise in their area of interest. They also provide counselling and guidance to young Qatari jobseekers. This year’s career fair is offering nearly 23,000 opportunities, which include 14,000 job opportunities, 2,100 scholarships, 2,850 training opportunities for students, and 3,800 openings for capacity building in the energy, industry, banking and finance sectors. The education, sports and health sectors are offering 4,800 opportunities. Commenting on social media sites, some Qataris have appreciated the fair while others have criticised it for overspending and not producing results. “Some (applicants) have specific requirements; with some, their qualifications are not enough, because of which they may not find jobs,” Abdullah Al Mansoori, Executive Director, Qatar Career Fair, told The Peninsula. He said companies would not be spending money and participating in the fair if they were not getting results. Some statistics say there are around 3,000 Qataris looking for jobs, but Al Mansoori said the figure include those seeking better opportunities. The annual recruitment event is projected as an excellent opportunity to match Qatari human resources with the labour market’s present and future requirements. It is expected to provide job opportunities, training programmes and scholarships to the applicants. Organised by the Emiri Diwan, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Qatar University and the Ministry of Labour, the event is in its sixth edition. Nearly 450 exhibitors from the private and government sectors from the fields of energy, communications, tourism, sports, media, health, banking and finance are taking part in the fair. The exhibitors have been grouped into ‘villages’ at the fair. Qatar Career Fair 2013 has strict rules for exhibitors to submit details about their recruitment, training and development programmes and allowed exhibitors to register only if they had disclosed the results of last year’s participation. Nine companies were excluded from this year’s fair as they failed to furnish the results. The six-day event ends today. The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is offering 144 job opportunities and 40 scholarships. On the first day, its booth at the fair received 88 applications, the majority for medical or paramedical posts. But on the second day of the fair, SCH received 171 applications, and 131 on the third, the majority of them for jobs in the administration or human resources departments. “Most of our vacancies are for medical and paramedical posts. But we don’t get many applications from qualified professionals,” said Samar Hussien Moad, Director, Human Resources, at SCH. “Therefore, we are recruiting trainees who are qualified and interested in the medical and paramedical fields. But many applicants are interested in jobs related to administration or human resources,” she added. Qatar Airways, too, said that many applicants sought administrative and human resources jobs although the airline was offering jobs and scholarships in several areas of the aviation industry. “Many apply for human resources and administrative jobs. We have seen it even in the past. In Qatar Airways, we let trainees get experience in different departments to see their skills and let them choose what they are comfortable with,” said Kholode M Al Obaidli, Vice President, Nationalisation, Human Resources, Qatar Airways. Woqod received 300 applications in the first three days of the fair, although it has only 50 to 60 vacancies. “We have received applications for engineering, accounting and administration-related jobs. Yes, there are many applications for administrative jobs,” said Ahmed Al Safi, Recruitment and Payroll Supervisor, Woqod. “We get more fresh graduates than experienced professionals, therefore Woqod takes them in as trainees,” he added. Qatar Chronicle

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