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Tribune News Network
Doha
THE Foundation Program under the Deanship of General Studies at Qatar University (QU) hosted the 'Skills for Future Careers' event aimed to prepare students for interviews when searching for jobs.
Organised in collaboration with QU Career Services Center, the event engaged 400 female students and a number of faculty members. It brought together 22 business specialists from various institutions such as Boeing, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, Nakilat, Qatar Airways, Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre, and Qatar Petroleum.
The students were allocated according to their majors, namely: business administration, law, arts, education and sharia to conduct personal interviews.
Lecturer in the Department of English Language at QU Foundation Program Shamsa al Rushaidi explained the objective of the event, which was mainly to create an authentic environment that allows students to practise the language fluently without any evaluation pressure. She ended by explaining the mechanism of the event to ensure its implementation in an effective way.
The event provided the students with the opportunity to experience what it is like to be in a job interview where questions cover areas of qualifications, experiences, skills and personality traits required for each job. In addition, the students had the opportunity to interact with industry experts, which positively contributed to motivate them further towards learning in general and learning the English language in particular. The interviews were followed by a training workshop on CV writing by the Career Services Center.
In his remarks, QU Foundation Program Director Dr Hezam al Awah commended the crucial role of the program to promote and enhance the collaborative ties between QU and the local community and businesses. He also thanked all those involved from local businesses for their cooperation that positively impacted students' and teachers' reaction alike. He also encouraged the continual promoting of such initiatives through valuing the efforts undertaken by the Department of English Language at the Foundation Program.
"We want to enrich the educational experience of our students by providing the appropriate learning environment through which our students employ their skills acquired in courses in a realistic context, and we look forward to more of these effective initiatives," he said.
Section Head of Student Affairs at QU Foundation Program Hayat El Samad noted that the aim of the event was to enhance English language skills by providing"semi-authentic" environment for engaging students to qualify them professionally.
Abdulaziz al Khaldi said:"The Career Services Center at Qatar University is the link between students and the business sector, whether by providing professional opportunities or by conducting professional events with the participation of the University's partners from the government and private sectors in the State of Qatar. In this event, the representatives of the organisations presented themselves to the students and talked about their roles in the institutions they work in. They answered questions about future jobs and the skills required for students to be prepared for the job market."
Student Haya al Marri (College of Education) said:"The event gave us the opportunity to meet experts who inspired us in the most important skills that we will address in the future when applying for the job. We have already benefited from this experience and are waiting for more of such activities."
