randk12 feb2008 qatar today

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48 QatarToday FEBRUARY 2008 FEBRUARY 2008 Qatar

ly inuenced by their parents and re -

ligious beliefs. Lack of a scholarship,

family responsibilities, and the avail-ability of secure, prestigious and wellpaying government jobs may deteryoung people from pursuing post-secondary education. Changing the

education system alone is not likelyto alter the situation. Policies couldcreate new incentives for Qataris tomake different choices, but the studydid not explore those possibilities.

|q|The report states that there has

been no broad strategic review of

post secondary education opportu-

By Vani SaraSwathi

ArePort ppad f hSupm educain Cun-cil has mphasisd h nd

s up cmmuniy cllgs and sp up h qualiy and yp f ps

scnday ducain ha is cunlyavailabl.

th sach dscibd in h -p was ppad f h Supmeducain Cuncil and cnducd

wihin rAND educain and hrAND-Qaa Plicy Insiu, p-gamms f h rAND Cpain.

Qatar Today , in an xclusiv in-viw, spaks h lad auh f h

p D Cahln Sasz, wih in-pu fm D eic eid, D FanciscMall, and D Chals Gldman,all f whm a wih h rANDCpain.

excps f h p wals lasd f h s im,

Qatar Today.

|q|The report mentions that few

Qataris have the training or quali-

cations needed for high demand,

high skill jobs. Is this merely a mat-ter of deciency in the education

system that needs to be set right, or

is it a social conditioning that has to

be changed?

|a| ou p indicas ha i ispaly du dcincis in h sys -m and paly du individualpfncs and chics. th duca-in sysm has many ducain andaining ppuniis in aas la-

d high dmand ccupains, andals sm shfalls (.g., Mas’sdg lvl pgamms) ha h

sudy p ulins. th asnswhy individuals chs paiculaducainal pins pusu pa-icula ccupains a cmplx, and

h pan f chics can vay fmals vsus fmals and ld v-sus yung ppl. ou sudy did

n xamin all h cmplxiis, bui did highligh sm cndiins facs ha may inunc chics,f xampl: yung ppl a high-

Community Colleges:Need of the Hour

Qatar faces signicant barriers to

progress:

Qatar’s K-12 (kindergarten

through grade 12) education

system is weak, which means that

students are poorly prepared for

post-secondary study. The SEC

has embarked on an ambitious

reform of K-12 schooling, one that

holds promise for better preparing

graduates for higher education

and work, but it began in 2001

and will require more time to yield

signicant effects.

Qatar depends on an expatriate

workforce for both low-skilled

labour and high-skilled technicians,

managers, and professionals, es-

pecially for the energy sector. Most

Qataris do not have the trainingor qualications required for many

high-demand, high-skill jobs in

the expanding economy (Planning

Council, 2005).

An implicit social contract guar-

antees Qataris employment in the

government sector, which employs

about 77 percent of all Qataris in

the workforce. Qataris favour work

in government jobs, which provide

them with high salaries and good

benets, short working hours, job

security, and little competition

from expatriates better qualied

than they are (Planning Council,

2002, 2005).

“Qatarisation” policies directed at

increasing Qatari employment in

the energy sector and the private

sector do not always succeed, be -

cause many Qataris are not willing

or lack the needed skills to work

in these sectors (Planning Council,

2005).

Compared with Qatari males,

Qatari females are higher academic

achievers but are less likely to

pursue career employment and are

subject to cultural traditions that

limit their job opportunities.Qatari males tend to be academi-

cally unmotivated but have high

expectations about securing

respectable jobs.

Qatar lacks a mechanism for coor-

dinating workforce development,

including education and training,

to rectify skill shortages and other

imbalances in the labour market

(Planning Council, 2005).

Given these barriers most pres

ing problem for Qatar’s leadersh

is that of determining what kind

of initiatives will best broaden a

strengthen Qatari participation

post-secondary education. Indiv

initiatives already carried out ha

paved the way for establishing a

range of post-secondary educat

opportunities in Qatar, but thes

initiatives have not been subject

to a broad strategic review.

As a result, the extent to whic

available post-secondary educat

offerings meet Qatar’s current a

future economic needs is uncert

The SEC asked the RAND Corp

tion to study the current situatio

and to help develop priorities fo

providing the needed post-secoary offerings, either in Qatar or

nancing the education of Qata

abroad.

The purpose of the RAND stud

was twofold: to provide a basis

upon which to develop a more

strategic approach to post-seco

ary education, and to address th

issues and options in an integra

fashion.

Post secondary education in Qatar

EmployEr DEmaND, StuDENt CHoiCE, aND optioNS For pol

“Mnay cmpnsain was nln f a numb f impan jb

cnsidains f mn... and salaand bns w dmd lss

impan han many hchaacisics by h wmn... hs

a h spndns pinins and mn indica h acins akn.”

|focus| |focus|

A t A G l a n c e

Dr Cathleen Stasz, Lead Author of the RAND report


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/randk12-feb2008-qatar-today 2/450 Qatar Today FEBRUARY 2008

nities. Which are the areas that have

been overlooked or the ones that

need immediate attention?

|a|W idnify h gaps in

h cun pins availabl inQaa and mak h fllwing

cmmndains:esablish a gvnmn-spnsd

cmmuniy cllg ppa su-

dns wh nd addiinal aca-dmic ppaain bf pusuing

ps-scnday sudis and hlpaduls impv gnal skills

ppa acadmically if hy wish pusu fuh ducain.

Pvid addiinal ppuniis

f high-achiving sudns sudy in Qaa, such as a Libal

As Cllg in educain Ciy andan hnus pgamm a Qaa

Univsiy.Add Mas’s dgs in high-d-mand lds bh in educain Ciy

and a Qaa Univsiy.

|q|Which disciplines of study

should these community colleges

offer?

QATARIS should prepare for profes-

sional and technical occupations,most of which require some post-

secondary education or training.

However, employment demands and

patterns of education and employ-

ment are somewhat out of sync,

especially for men. Qataris’ prefer-

ence for working in the government

sectors remains strong.

The study’s key ndings from this

part of the analysis are as follows:

Employment demands for men

will be in professional, techni-cian, and sales and service worker

occupations. The pattern is similar

for women, except that they are

also likely to nd employment in

clerical jobs and in professional

jobs in the government.

Employers express high demand

for skills in certain areas, especially

English, ICT, and business. They

also value the so-called soft skills,

such as a good work attitude and

a willingness to learn.Patterns of employment for the

1998 secondary school graduates

suggest that men are continu-

ing to pursue careers in elds

other than those in demand,

most notably in the military and

police, and that large proportions

of women still enter the teaching

profession. A large proportion of

graduates hold professional jobs,

but whether they are doing so in

sufcient numbers to meet current

and future demands is unclear.

Occupational demand favours

individuals with some post-sec-

ondary education supplemented

by more-specic job training.

Women are more likely to pursue

post-secondary education than

men.

The trend for Qatari women to

pursue and achieve post-second-

ary education in greater num-

bers than Qatari men will likelycontinue given that twice as many

females as males in our 2006

cohort planned to attend univer-

sity or obtain a post-secondary

diploma.

Similarly, the trend for Qataris to

seek work in the government and

government enterprises will also

continue. Males overwhelmingly

name the government as their

main choice of employer, and

most of the working women inour 1998 cohort (many of whom

are teachers) are employed in a

government ministry.

While women are more likely than

men to pursue post-secondary

education, they are still highly

concentrated in such traditional

occupations as teaching. Given

that opportunities for women in

the labour market appear to be

expanding and that young females

aspire to many types of careers,more may need to be done to tap

this important human resource.

Cultural expectations may still

work against women’s employ-

ment, for example, the senior

male and female students in the

2006 cohort had very different

views about women working

outside the home.

Secondary school students’ choic-

es for their future are highly inu-

enced by parents and by religious

beliefs. This suggests that appeals

to parents and religious organiza-

tions (through, for instance, public

relations campaigns) to encourage

their children to pursue higher

education and/or to highlight the

need for professional and techni-

cal workers in Qatar may be one

way to affect parental advice and

students’ choices.

Key Findings

|focus|

A t A G l a n c e



52 QatarToday FEBRUARY 2008 FEBRUARY 2008 Qatar

A t A G l a n c e

Qaaizain gals unlss Qaaismak diffn chics ( a givnsng incnivs mak diffn

chics).

|q|Since citizens expect, and in

most cases receive, very high sala -

ries and perks (not really in keep-

ing with the qualications) how

will there be acceptance for college

or technical courses, that may not be

high-paying opportunities?

|a|W did n dicly sudy whalabu mak incnivs plicis

migh b ndd aac Qaais diffn ccupains, n did wxamin h lainship bwn

qualicains and wags in Qaa.this qusin suggss ha Qaais

a mainly mivad by nancialgain (which is als h pinin f many mplys and hs in-viwd in h sudy).

ou suvy daa indica ha hisis n ncssaily h cas. Mnaycmpnsain was nly n f a

1998 Cohort Means(RankOrder)a

Characteristic Female Male Ov

M ak es m e f ee l r es pe ct ed a nd a pp re ci at ed 3 .8 2 (1) 3 .7 7 (1) 3 .

Job security 3.68 (2) 3.53 (4) 3.

Opportunities for career advancement 3.32 (6) 3.72 (2) 3.

Opportunity to contribute to society 3.43 (3) 3.53 (5) 3.4

O pp or tu ni ty t o g et m ore t ra in in g 3 .3 9 (5) 3 .5 5 (3) 3 .4

Friendly colleagues 3.43 (4) 3.30 (11) 3.

Allows time to be with family 3.11 (9) 3.37 (9) 3.2

Interesting work 3.18 (8) 3.26 (12) 3.2

Challenging work 3.04 (10) 3.17 (13) 3.

Salary 2.71 (15) 3.43 (7) 3.0

Vacations 3.25 (7) 2.81 (16) 3.0

R et ir em en t b en ef it s 2 .6 2 ( 17 ) 3 .3 7 ( 8) 2 .9

Other benefits 2.64 (16) 3.34 (10) 2.9

Housing benefits 2.48 (18) 3.47 (6) 2.9

Pr estige 2.93 ( 12) 2.85 ( 15) 2.8

N ot e xp ec te d t o w ork l on g h ou rs 2 .9 6 (11 ) 2 .7 4 (17 ) 2 .8

Bonuses 2.82 (14) 2.89 (14) 2.8

W om en -o nl y w ork e nv ir on me nt 2 .8 6 (13 ) 1 .8 4 (18 ) 2 .3

Mixed-gender work environment 1.39 (19) 1.42 (19) 1.4

Sample sizea 28 47

2006 Cohort Mean (Rank Order)b

Characteristic Female Male Ov

Makes me feel respected and appreciated 3.55 (3) 3.56 (4) 3.5

Job security 3.44 (6) 3.42 (6) 3.4

Opportunities for career advancement 3.22 (11) 3.08 (14) 3.1

Op po rt un it y t o c on tr ib ut e t o s oci et y 3 .2 7 ( 9) 3 .2 9 ( 7) 3 .2

Opportunity to get more training 3.22 (12) 3.11 (12) 3.1

Friendly colleagues 3.22 (10) 3.06 (15) 3.1

Allows time to be with family 3.17 (13) 3.22 (11) 3.2

Interesting work 3.54 (4) 3.48 (5) 3.5

Challenging work 3.46 (5) 3.28 (8) 3.

Salary 3.37 (8) 3.70 (2) 3.5

Retirement benefits 2.67 (16) 3.10 (13) 2.8

Other benefits (e.g., housing) 2.75 (15) 3.24 (9) 2.9

Prestige 3.58 (2) 3.76 (1) 3.6

Not expected to work long hours 3.37 (7) 2.72 (17) 3.0

Bonuses 2.96 (14) 3.24 (10) 3.0

Women-only work environment 2.59 (17) 2.59 (18) 2.5

Health benefits 2.57 (18) 2.84 (16) 2.7

Mixed-gender work environment 3.71 (1) 3.67 (3) 3.6

Sample sizeb 151 103 2

a. rspndns ad ach chaacisic as fllws: 1, n impan; 2, smwha impan; 3, vy im4, xmly impan; 0, dn’ knw. Scs w calculad as mans af dpping all dn’ knspnss.

b. Vais slighly acss qusins.

THE data from the study provide

two important perspectives on

patterns of education and employ-

ment that of young people who

graduated from secondary school

in 1998, and that of 18-year-old

secondary school seniors set to

graduate in 2006. The data from

the 1998 group illuminate the

transition from secondary school

to higher education and work; the2006 group’s data reveal seniors’

education and employment

aspirations.

The adjoining tables on the

right show the Importance of Job

Characteristics to Choice of Job or

Career for the two groups.

Patterns oF

education and

emPloyment

|focus| |focus|

A t A G l a n c e|a|this wuld dpnd n h mis-

sin f h cmmuniy cllg andis lainship h Qaai duca-in sysm and wuld qui fu-h sudy. In hy, i culd ffcuss in english ICt yungppl and aduls (pvidd his dmand f hm) and i culd f -f ppaay ducain ainingin high dmand lds.

|q| Do you think community col-

leges would be received well?

|a|ou sudy did n dicly ad-dss his issu. Hwv i is uimpssin ha a cmmuniy cllgmigh b viwd as lacking in ps -ig cmpad Qaa Univsiy,making hs i culd bn, hsi-an nl bcaus h is a sigmaaachd anding a cmmuniy

cllg. A fasibiliy sudy n h d -mand f a cmmuniy cllg mighaddss his qusin.

|q|Given the misalignment of

qualication with demand – how

will the country’s nationalisation

(Qatarization) goals be met?

|a|I will b difcul m sm

ONE common strategy for raising

employer satisfaction and increas-

ing the likelihood that graduates

will be prepared for work is to

forge formal relationships between

education institutions and employ-

ers. These can take different forms,such as employer representation on

advisory boards, input into curricu-

lum development, and sponsorship

of interns or work schemes...

Whether they are satised with

graduates’ skills or not, nearly all

organizations in our study have

invested in formal and informal

training, and this training has been

quite extensive in several cases.

For example, at Qatar Petroleum,

a graduate of Qatar University’sengineering programme can expect

to receive up to six more years

of structured training and work

experience before becoming fully

qualied.

By and large, the employers we

interviewed were not satised with

the quality of skills possessed by Qa-

tari secondary school and university

graduates. Most employers viewed

Qatari graduates’ English skills as

poor, and about half complained

about poor communication skills.

Poor technical skills were also

frequently mentioned.

Employers noted that Qatari

graduates had poor work attitudes

as well, and some specically men-

tioned lack of loyalty or commitmentto the company. Loyalty was particu-

larly an issue for employers that had

invested in employee training and

then had the employees leave for or-

ganizations offering better pay and

benets. It was also an issue for em-

ployers working toward Qatarization

targets, since any Qatari leaving the

organization would be a setback.

At least one organization, however,

claimed that employees who left for

better positions were not a problem

– it saw itself as contributing to the

skills of the country’s citizens no

matter where those citizens worked.

ACCORDING to the employers, the

work attitudes of Qataris and non-

Qataris differ. Employers mentioned

that Qatari employees exhibited an

unwillingness to work in shifts (es-

pecially on evening shifts) or outside

Doha, as well as lack of enthusiasm

or motivation for the job.

In addition, Qataris expected to be

given a management or supervisoryposition regardless of their experi-

ence or qualications.

One interviewee noted that Qatari

men were sometimes unwilling to

work for female supervisors. And

two noted that Qataris tended

toward shyness, which sometimes

made them reluctant to work in jobs

dealing with the public.

SOME “soft” skills, such as loyalty to

an employer or being motivated at

work, may be individual character-

istics or behaviours that are difcult

to change through an educational

intervention.

Most Qataris work in the govern-

ment sector, where current employ-

ment policies provide good benets,

job security, and no performance-

based rewards or penalties. In these

circumstances, there is little reason

for employees to work hard, show

initiative, or even take their work

seriously.

As noted in the previous section,some employers we interviewed

complained that lack of motivation

or enthusiasm is endemic among

Qataris, particularly among Qatari

men.

Changes in employment policies

and practices may be needed if the

motivational and attitudinal

problems that concern many em-

ployers and ultimately affect produc-

tivity and performance are to be

mitigated.

soFt sKills

emPloyer rePresentation on

advisory Boards

A t A G l a n c e



54 Qatar Today FEBRUARY 2008

A t A G l a n c e

A

t A G l a n c e

numb f impan jb cnsid-

ains f mn in h 1998 ch, and

salay and bns w dmd lss

impan han many h chaac-

isics by h wmn. In h 2006

ch, issus lik salay, psig,

and mnay bns w als n

as impan as h chaacisics,

bu signicanly m impan f

mn han wmn.

Hwv as slf pd daa

hs a h spndns pinins

and may n indica h acins hy

wuld ak. this is an aa wh i

will b impan f plicymaks

cnsid ha mn and wmn may

spnd diffnly labu mak

incnivs.

|q|There is mention of concern

about the lack of soft skills (short-

comings in attitude and commit-

ment compared to expatriate work

force). What are the recommenda-

tions to set this right?

|a|Answing his qusin wuld

qui m invsigain, as h

a many diffncs bwn h

cndiins f xpaias and Qaai

wks. F xampl, xpaias

cm fm a wldwid pl and

ypically wk wih lss jb scuiy

han Qaais. ths diffn cndi-

ins may inunc h sf skills b-

svd amng wks. rsach in

h Unid Sas (.g., Sasz al 1993)

suggss ha i is pssibl ach

sm psiiv wk-lad skills andaiuds wihin a scnday schl

cuiculum, bu nw pgamm d-

signs and spcialisd ach aining

wuld b ndd s. Bu h sf

skills (.g., lyaly an mply

mivain) may b difcul al

hugh ducainal invnins

and may qui changs in mply-

mn plicis n

THE report recommends that

before any investments are made,Qatari policymakers prioritise the

post-secondary gaps according

to the value to be gained – by

both the economy and the society

– from addressing them. In doing

so, policymakers should consider a

number of issues, one of which is

whether an investment addresses

areas of national signicance in

furthering Qatar’s economic and

social goals. For example, provid-

ing high-quality graduate train-

ing will go a long way toward

developing future leaders of the

country, particularly women.

The same reasoning applies

to investing in new high-quality

undergraduate programmes. And

community colleges may provide

valuable training to many second-

ary school graduates not currently

pursuing post-secondary

education.

THE research points to a gap in

post-secondary education.

The three investment options

provided to ll the gap are:

1. Restructure programmes at

Qatar University.

2. Recruit new foreign institutions

to Qatar.

3. Develop new government-spon-

sored post-secondary pro-

grammes of less than four years.

Post secondary oPtions

“Lack f a schlaship, familyspnsibiliis, and h availabiliy f

scu, psigius and wllpaying gvnmn jbs may d

yung ppl fm pusuing

psscnday ducain.”

Prioritisation

|focus|

randk12 feb2008 qatar today

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