QCDC, QFBA Offer Professional Training for Career Advisors

Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), founded by Qatar Foundation, and Qatar Finance and Business Academy (QFBA) have announced the opening of registration for the “Certified Career Advisor Preparation Program,” a specialized professional development program designed to strengthen career guidance practice inQatar.

Running from 2 November to 14 December 2026, the seven-week program targets career and academic counselors in schools and universities, career services providers, talent acquisition specialists, and university graduates seeking employment in career guidance and counseling.

It equips participants with the knowledge, tools, and applied skills needed to enhance the quality of career guidance services and keep pace with rapid changes across education and the labor market, while preparing them to pursue the Certified Career Services Provider (CCSP) credential awarded by the American National Career Development Association (NCDA).

Commenting on the launch, Saad Abdulla Al-Kharji, Executive Director of QCDC, said: “Career guidance today is no longer a supporting service offered at the margins of education or employment.

It is a strategic function that helps individuals make better decisions, institutions build stronger talent pipelines, and societies prepare more effectively for the future of work.

Through this program, and through our partnership with QFBA, we aim to support practitioners with the professional foundations, practical tools, and recognized standards they need to guide young people and community members with confidence and impact.”

For his part, QFBA CEO Dr Khalifa Al Salahi Al Yafei said, “Career guidance represents a vital starting point in investing in national talent. It enables individuals to recognize their potential, align their aspirations with the evolving needs of the labor market and make well-informed decisions about their academic and professionalfutures.

Our collaboration with QCDC reflects a shared commitment to strengthening Qatar’s career guidance ecosystem by bringing together complementary institutional and subject-matter expertise to develop qualified practitioners equipped with the knowledge, skills and professional standards required to deliver more effective and sustainable career guidance services. We believe that such strategic partnerships help foster more mature professional practices, advance human capital development and cultivate talent capable of contributing effectively to Qatar’s national priorities and development journey.”

Delivered across 13 sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays, the program covers key areas of professional career guidance practice, including building effective helping relationships; career development theory and its application; the use of assessment in career planning; professional ethics; the design and implementation of career planning services; training and group facilitation; career guidance for school students; job search skills and employability; career information and technology resources; and cultural diversity.

Participants will also undertake a detailed review and mock-exam discussion during the final session as part of their preparation for the next stage of the certification process.

The training will be delivered by experienced career development and counseling specialists, including Dr. Khalifa AlYafei, CEO of QFBA and a Certified Facilitating CareerDevelopment (FCD) Instructor; Dr Mahmood Salim Almaawali, Assistant Professor of Counseling at Sultan Qaboos University and an NCDA-trained Career Development Trainer; and Dr. Hamda Alnaimi, an FCD Certified Instructor and Certified Career Counselor.

The Certified Career Advisor Preparation Program brings together QCDC’s specialized expertise in career guidance and development with QFBA’s expertise in professional training and education.

Through this collaboration, the program offers a pathway that combines specialized knowledge, practical application, and preparation for professional certification, contributing to higher standards of career guidance practice in Qatar and a more integrated ecosystem of practitioners equipped to support students, graduates, jobseekers, and other beneficiaries in exploring diverse educational and career pathways and making more informed decisions about their future.