Through an ambitious plan, the Human Resources Directorate aims to tap into the country’s human development capacity and increase the number of Qatari nationals across all its sectors. Positive results have already begun to show as Qatar Foundation succeeded in achieving the initial 50% Qatarisation goal stipulated in its first five-year plan from 2006 to 2011, and is continuing to see a marked improvement in its current five-year plan from 2011 to 2016. Commenting on the organisation’s long-term strategy and future employment plans, Human Resources Directorate recruitment manager Ahmed al-Obaidly said: “We conduct an annual assessment to monitor the ratio of Qataris joining us every year, in order to ensure that the outcome meets our strategic objectives. I can say that we have been achieving very positive results on this front.” “We are always seeking capable nationals who can lead the Foundation’s projects, as well as research and education centres. We prepare students by offering them educational scholarships and facilitate training at the best institutes and international companies, so that we can help them assume future positions,” al-Obaidly said. The long-term employment strategy at Qatar Foundation seeks to place nationals in a variety of jobs, so that youth are fully equipped to take on diverse roles within the organisation. “The broad range of fields offered by the Foundation allows us to attract a large pool of applicants with different capabilities. We have jobs for applicants who would like to work in the field of research and in all levels of education, from early childhood education to university education. In addition, we have a number of specialisations within the field of community development, music, sports, and other administrative functions,” he said. One of the programmes on offer is the Career Development Plan, which has been put in place for recent high school and university graduate trainees. “Within a period of two years, the trainee is eligible to take over a position at Qatar Foundation. During this time, the candidate will undertake several vocational courses and workshops, both within Qatar and abroad, that are directly related to his or her career path. At the same time, the trainee continues to receive valuable on the job experience, which is gained through daily work,” al-Obaidly said. “The training programme’s results are extremely positive and graduates that have gone through it have all taken up the jobs assigned to them successfully.” All graduate trainees are appointed a coach who tracks their progress and evaluates their performance every three months. By doing so, both the trainee and coach are able to identify areas for improvement and align training needs with the individual’s Career Development Plan. In addition, a specialist from human resources assesses the trainee’s responsiveness to ensure any challenges are confronted from the start. Al-Obaidly said the mission of the annual Qatar Career Fair, now in its sixth year, was far more extensive than simply finding suitable candidates to take up employment offers. He said the exhibition’s role was also to provide awareness for visitors on all job-related aspects and to help them select a suitable job. Qatar Career Fair 2013 will conclude today. More information is available at http://www.qatarcareerfair.com.qa Source: Caye Global News, Gulf Times

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