In Collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the U.S. Embassy in Doha, and Qatar Foundation

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QCDC Opens Career Counselors Hub 2025

With 200 Counselors from Public and Private Schools

Doha, Qatar – 9 September 2025 – Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), founded by Qatar Foundation (QF), has launched the 2025 edition of the Career Counselors Hub at Multaqa, Education City, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), the U.S. Embassy in Doha, and QF Higher Education. The two-day program brings together 200 counselors from public and private schools across Qatar, alongside counselors from Education City institutions, to strengthen career guidance and student support nationwide.

The opening ceremony was attended by Saad Abdulla Al-Kharji, Executive Director of QCDC, and representatives from MoEHE, including Maha Zayed Al-Ruwaili, Assistant Undersecretary for Educational Affairs, and Maryam Al-Nisf Al-Buainain, Director of the Schools and Student Affairs Department; from the United States, Stefanie Altman-Winans, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., U.S. Embassy in Doha; and from QF, Francisco J. Marmolejo, President of Higher Education, and Abeer Al-Khalifa, President of Pre-University Education (PUE). The Hub’s opening program featured remarks from QCDC leadership and partner institutions, followed by a high-level panel on maximizing the role of career counselors in Qatar’s human resources development strategy. The agenda continued with bilingual training sessions, interactive workshops, and a networking exhibition connecting counselors with universities, government bodies, and education organizations.

The high-level panel brought together Dr. Khalifa Al- Al-Yafei, Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA); Her Excellency Professor Sheikha Abdulla Al-Misnad, former President of Qatar University; Yaqoub Saleh Al Ishaq, Director of Civil Service Affairs, Civil Service and Government Development Bureau; and Ms. Maha Zayed Al-Ruwaili. The session was moderated by career development expert Dr. Hamda Hamad Al-Naemi, and examined how unified standards, enhanced counselor capacity-building, and school–university–employer linkages can translate national strategies into daily impact for students.

Program highlights across September 9–10 include skills-building workshops in both Arabic and English, sessions on university admissions processes, and structured networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration among counselors and higher education partners. Running concurrently on the second day, Doha Counselors Day 2025—organized with Education City universities—offers school counselors and administrators an in-depth look at academic programs and admissions processes, and a forum to exchange best practices with university admissions teams.

“Career Counselors Hub is where policy meets practice,” said Saad Abdulla Al-Kharji, Executive Director of QCDC. “By convening counselors from every corner of the school system and our Education City partners, we are building shared standards, practical tools, and a common language for guidance that helps every student make informed academic and career decisions. This is how we translate strategy into daily impact in schools—and how we invest in a future-ready workforce aligned with Qatar’s national priorities.”

In her address at the Hub, Ms. Maha Al-Ruwaili expressed her pleasure in taking part in the annual event, noting that the Hub “has become an essential platform for exchanging experience and best practices—empowering students to chart their academic and career paths in an informed and deliberate manner.” She also conveyed her appreciation to the strategic partners—chief among them QCDC, the U.S. Embassy in Doha, and QF Higher Education—for their valuable support in enriching the forum’s program, stressing that these efforts are especially significant in light of Qatar National Vision 2030, which places investment in human capital at the heart of building a brighter future.

“The U.S. Embassy is proud to collaborate with Qatari institutions, including the dedicated hosts of this Counselors’ Hub, to connect students with opportunities to study, research, and innovate in Qatar and the United States,” said Stefanie Altman-Winans, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at the U.S. Embassy in Doha. “Counselors help students make thoughtful decisions about their education and careers, developing a skilled, confident, and resilient generation.  Their guidance shapes the next generation of leaders, innovators, and changemakers who drive progress in their communities and beyond.”

For his part, Francisco Marmolejo, President of Higher Education at Qatar Foundation, said: “Counselors play a vital role in guiding and supporting students as they take their next steps into higher education, and we are deeply grateful for the partnership we share with them. At Qatar Foundation’s Education City, we are proud to offer a unique environment where world-class universities, research, and student life come together to empower young people.”

The Hub is positioned as an operational pillar of the national career guidance ecosystem developed by QCDC with MoEHE and partner institutions. It standardizes counselor capacity-building, promotes evidence-based tools, and strengthens pathways between schools, higher education, and employers, supporting the Human Development pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030.