Beginning in the late Nineties, Qatar launched a comprehensive set of education reforms to more effectively align its education and training system with its macroeconomic policies aimed at advancing towards a knowledge-based economy. However, technical vocational education and training (TVET) has not been a significant focus of educational reforms.

1. Tahseen Consulting Webinar: Female Access to
Technical Vocational Education and Training and
Labor Market Outcomes in Qatar
Public Sector
Social Sector
Corporate Responsibility
CONFIDENTIAL AND PROPRIETARY
Any use of this material without specific permission of Tahseen Consulting is strictly prohibited www.tahseen.ae
Expanding technical education and employment opportunities for women
▲

2. 1962
1966
1970
1977
1988
 UNESCO: “Lack of technical personnel … provides
problems. Some industrial sectors are especially suffering,
such as chemical, iron and ceramic industries …”
 UNESCO issues Recommendation on Technical and
Vocational Education revised in 1974 and 2001
 UNESCO Marrakech Conference: Arab countries have an
“outmoded view of technical and vocational education as
an inferior type of education”
 Fourth Conference of Ministers of Education urges the
establishment of establish centers to educate and train
middle-level technical personnel
 Hasswi (1988) argues Arab labor markets consist of a
broad base of non-skilled labour and a shortage of
technicians and skilled workers
In the Arab World, the need for TVET was catalyzed by the
work of international organizations and several regional
conferences on the subject beginning in the 1960s …
1947
1949
1956
1970
1997
 Qatar exports its first shipment of oil to Europe generating
demand for skilled technical workers
 Qatar’s first primary school is established
 Establishment of the Department of Education
 Further development of liquefied gas complex,
petrochemicals, and fertilizer industries increases demand
for skilled technical workers
 North Field gas exports begin
Qatar’s rapid industrialization phases exposed the need
for TVET as early as 1949; Subsequent phases of
development have made the need more critical …
2009  UNESCO adopts its current TVET strategy
1972
 Tibawi (1972) “on the whole, and with possibly one or two
exceptions, vocational and technical education is still little
more than decorative on the fringes of the national
[education] Systems”
2012
 UNESCO adopts the Shanghai Consensus: at the Third
International Congress on Technical and Vocational
Education and Training
1957  First regular school for girls was established
1993
 Qatar has approximately 7 TVET institutions: Regional
Training Center, Commercial School, Qatar Petroleum
Corporation Training Center, Nursing Institution ( Ministry
of Health ), Technological College Health Inspection Inst.
1998 -
2010
 Virginia Commonwealth, College of North Atlantic,
Community College were established
2004
 The Qatar Independent Technical School, the first public
school to offer vocational training at the secondary level is
established
Qatar’s rapid economic development created the need for highly skilled technical workers
particularly in the oil and gas sector and related industries
2011
 National Development Strategy 2011 – 2016 includes
plans to “increase the prominence of technical education
and vocational training programs”

3. Formal Post-secondary
TVET Institutions
Government
Training Centers
Private, Company, and
Semi-gov. Training Centers
Objectives
• TVET skills for labor market
entry
• Meet labor market needs
• Provide options for less
academically inclined students
• Upgrade and remediate the
skills of current staff
• New skills to enable transition
to other roles and
responsibilities
• Help school leavers and
unemployed find jobs
• Facilitate school-to-work
transitions through
apprenticeships/internships
• Upgrade and remediate the
skills of current staff
• New skills to enable transition
to other roles and
responsibilities
• Help school leavers and
unemployed find jobs
Provision
Indicative
Examples
Primary TVET
Delivery Modes
• Public and private provision
through technical colleges and
advanced institutes
• College of the North Atlantic
• Teacher training facility of
Qatar University
• Texas A&M
• Virginia Commonwealth
University in Qatar
• Community College of Qatar
• Qatar Aeronautical College
• Public provision through
dedicated ministry and
department affiliated training
institutions
• Company affiliated training
institutions
• Private training providers
• Institute of Administrative
Development
• Ministry of Interior - Police
Training Institute
• Qatar Leadership Center
• Hamad International Training
Center
• Qatar Chamber of Commerce
& Industry
• Military training centers
• Qatar Skills Academy
• Qatar Finance and Business
Academy
• Qtel Learning Center
• Qatar Petroleum Training
Center
• Qatar National Bank Training
Center
• Various private training
companies
Entrepreneurship and
Social Development Centers
• Seek to promote
entrepreneurship through
delivery of business, financial,
legal, and other training as
well pre and post incubation
training and mentorship
• Majority publically funded with
corporate and private
donations
• Roudha Center for
Entrepreneurship and
Innovation
• Bedaya Center
• Social Development Center
To meet the increased need for technically trained workers, four primary modes of TVET
delivery for women have emerged in Qatar

4. Evolution of Percentage of Female Students as a Proportion of
Total Students at ISCED 5A Level
Number of female students as a % of total students enrolled
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
2003 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 2011
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Note: UAE only has data available for 2009; Kuwait has data available only for 2003 and
2004, reflecting 65% participation for both years
Evolution of Percentage of Female Students as a Proportion of
Total Students at ISCED 5B Level
Number of female students as a % of total students enrolled
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2003 '04 '05 '06 '07 '08 '09 '10 2011
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Note: UAE only has data available for 2009; Kuwait only has data available for 2011 from
the Kuwait Central Statics Bureau
 Females in Qatar make up 73% of all
students attending higher education
programs
 With the exception of Bahrain, Qatar
has the highest number of women
attending higher education programs
in the GCC
 Relative to GCC countries, Saudi
Arabia and Qatar have lower female
participation rates in TVET
However, while females in Qatar have made tremendous gains in accessing academic
higher education, gender-parity is yet to be achieved in vocational training

5. Agriculture, forestry, fishing (QR 4,405) 26 0% 55 0%
Mining and Quarrying (QR 18,783) 7,738 12% 3,102 30%
Manufacturing (QR 6,614) 918 12% 691 16%
Electricity, gas, steam, air cond. (QR 18,424) 1,327 7% 479 21%
Water supply, sewerage, waste mgmt. (QR 13,431) 123 31% 38 100%
Construction (QR 3,964) 709 11% 2,930 3%
Wholesale/retail trade; vehicle repair (QR 6,516) 1,451 25% 5,523 7%
Transportation and storage (QR 11,722) 1,466 8% 5,338 2%
Accommodation and food service (6,375) 593 33% 2,990 6%
Information and communication (QR 18,483) 2,403 27% 2,783 24%
Financial and insurance services (QR 19,453) 2,802 52% 3,209 46%
Real estate activities (QR 14,017) 669 13% 369 23%
Prof., scientific, and tech. activities (QR 7,756) 301 26% 1,583 5%
Administrative and support services (QR 5,935) 718 64% 2,390 19%
Public administration and defense (QR 22,898) 45,463 21% 13,805 69%
Education (QR 17,319) 10,652 84% 18,515 49%
Human health and social work (QR 17,068) 4,516 75% 11,796 29%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation (QR 13,969) 828 62% 752 69%
Other service activities (QR 6,460) 89 18% 680 2%
Activities of households as employers (QR 2,381) 0 0% 90,361 0%
Extraterritorial organizations (QR 18,287) 21 29% 331 2%
Qatari females as %
of Total Females
Employed in Sector
Total Females
Employed in
Sector
Female Qatari
Employment as % of
Total Qataris
Employed in Sector
Qataris Employed
in SectorSector and Monthly Average Wage
80% of Qatari
females are
employed in
these sectors
Labor market segmentation has also meant that Qatari women are primarily employed in
public sector, education, and health professions rather than emerging technical fields

6. Cultural
Attitudes and
Perceptions
Towards TVET
Education
system and
structural labor
market features
Government
policies
Barriers to TVET Enrollment
Culturally rooted ideas about prestige of certain sectors
Influence of parents on career choice and males’ beliefs
about post-marital employment
Gender segregated workplaces and job satisfaction
Academic education is societally more acceptable
Low rates of entrepreneurship
Three primary factors influence participation and the growth of TVET in Qatar
1
2
3
Entrenched ideas about professions women should have
Occupational segregation
Cultural models of women
Social norms about what jobs are respected and honorable
Values may limit employment outside traditional fields
Barriers to TVET Employment
Low understanding of career options available
Some programs are closed to females
Scholarship programs which reinforce gender stereotypes
Low numbers of female faculty
Textbook bias and lack of experiential opportunities
Salaries, reservation wages, working hours, job security,
retirement options, and benefits of the public sector
Few economic sectors due to lack of diversification
Women face more difficulties than men securing employment
Large number of male foreign workers
Academic policy bias: Policies predominantly focus on
quality and prestige of academic education
Inconsistent licensing, accreditation, and quality procedure:
Licensing does not assess gender equity and is lacking for
some institutions
Family law: Family law conveys power to male guardians
who may object to career decisions
Qatarization: Programs perpetuate occupational sorting into
particular roles which are clerical and administrative
Labor laws: Contain clauses that undermine equal
participation

7. A range of socio-cultural factors encourage women to pursue academic rather than
technical education in Qatar
Evolving Views on the Importance of Education and Female Employment
 Cultural norms may serve as a barrier to females attaining certain types and levels of education
 Cultural ideas about appropriate work for women may specifically limit opportunities to study technical fields
Family and Marriage
 Families often play important roles in helping women decide what to study and where to work
 Women in most GCC countries do not have equal rights to men in family status or labor laws
Workplace Values and Notions about the Importance of Employment
 Commitments to family and friends may be considered a higher priority than work
 These views have a strong influence on choices women make about their education and careers
Low Rates of Female Entrepreneurship
 Female entrepreneurship rates are substantially lower than male entrepreneurship rates
 Women face gender-specific barriers to starting businesses
1
2
3
4
Few Social Development Centers that Serve At-risk Women
 Many GCC countries have initiated programs to support vulnerable women
 Yet, the role of such institutions and the types of support they provide to at-risk women is evolving5

8.  Women lack sufficient information
on TVET options and are often
encouraged by family members and
teachers to continue studying at
university
 TVET options at the secondary
level are limited and concentrated in
fields which perpetuate gender-
biased views about appropriate future
career tracks for females
 National and company funded
scholarship programs reinforce
gender-biased perceptions about the
industries and roles that females
should aspire to work in
Limited Secondary Institutions Insufficient Career Guidance
1 2 3
Academic Tracks are Incented
 Textbooks re-enforce socio-cultural
norms that women should stay at
home or should take predominantly
desk-based work in the future
 Lack of female faculty available to
teach TVET programs may implicitly
send the message that technical
fields are either not appropriate
career choices for females or that
women are less successful in these
fields
Perceptions that online and mobile
learning is not mature enough yet for
hands-on, applied technical learning
Few Female Faculty Members Gender Bias in Curricula
4 5 6
Unproven Online Initiatives
Systemicbarrierstoenrollment
Academic Bias in Policies
 Policies that sort students based on grades reinforce
existing notions that academic tracks are superior
 Upper secondary tracks do not attract girls so they are
exposed to technical pathways late and are unaware of
post-secondary TVET options
Licensing, Accreditation, and Quality Procedures
 Inexplicit licensing and accreditation standards and
unclear quality procedures lead to non uniform quality
 Lack of clear standards for licensing and accreditation
undermines quality perceptions of TVET providers
EducationalPoliciesThere are a variety of systemic educational barriers and policies that deter female
enrollment in TVET in Qatar
1 2

9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30Age
Primary Education
(6 years)
Preschool
Education
(3 years)
Vocational
School
(3 years –
men only)
Employment
PhD
(3-5 years)
Employment
Technical Pathway
Academic Pathway
Possible with
Good Grades
Religious
Preparatory
(3 years -
men only)
Employment
Employment
Secondary
(3 years)
Pathway Only
for Men
Pathway Only
for WomenEmployment
Technical
College
&
Advanced
institutes
(2-3 yrs)
Undergraduate
Public University
(4-5 years including
Bridge Program)
Undergraduate
Private Universities
(4-5 years including
Bridge Program)
Masters Degree
(2-3 years)
Private, company, semi-government training centers, and
government training centers
Primary Education
Secondary
Education
Tertiary Education And
Firm-based Training
General
Preparatory
(3 years)
Entrepreneurship Training Centers (open to
all) or Social Development Center (for school
leavers)
Employment
For example, the structure of Qatar’s educational system exposes women to TVET late

10. Minister of Education
and Higher
Education - Oversees
policy implementation
to advance national
educational objectives
Higher Education
Institute - Ensures
quality of institutions
through licensing and
accreditation
Education Institute –
Licenses and sets
curriculum standards
Board of Directors-
Advances national
objectives by
overseeing Supreme
Education Council
Licensing and quality
assurance of public and
private TVET
institutions such as
Stenden, Qatar
Aeronautical College,
Ahmed bin Mohammad
Military College,
Community College
Qatar
Licenses secondary
TVET schools and
provides curriculum
Executive
Committee –
Approves institutional
licenses
Licensing and quality
assurance of private
training providers
Evaluation Institute –
Evaluates K-12 school
performance
Emiri Diwan - Administers University of
Calgary and College of the North Atlantic
Qatar through Joint Oversight Boards
Evaluates the
performance of
secondary TVET
schools relative to
quality, academic,
administrative,
managerial, and
operational standards
Specific roles of
Supreme
Education
Council institutes
in governing the
national TVET
system
Government Training Institutes
Qatar University and Hamid Bin Khalifa
University
Company and Semi-government
Training Centers
Entrepreneurship and Social
Development Centers
TVET Institutions
with indirect
governance
channels that
primarily occur
through board
overlap
Supreme Education
Council TVET
system governance
for secondary,
higher education,
and private training
institutions
The governance structure of Qatar’s TVET system is also immensely complex …

11. Entity Policymaking Authority Regulatory Authority Operational Authority
Emiri Diwan
 Has the ability to issue policies
that affect the national
education system through
Emiri Decrees
 Licenses and ensures
quality of select
international institutions
 Administers the University of Calgary Qatar
and College of the North Atlantic Qatar
through Joint Oversight Boards
Supreme Education
Council
 Defines TVET system policies
and pathways
 Quality assurance through
licensing and accreditation
requirements
 Licenses and accredits
public and private TVET
programs
 Administers the National
Qualifications Framework
 Operates secondary institutions
 Forges industry partnerships to ensure labor
market needs are met
 Ensures adequate information and awareness
of TVET programs
 Provides career counseling
General Secretariat for
Development Planning
 None  None
 Ensures the TVET system evolves to meet
economic development plans
 Conducts studies that shape education
system decisions
Ministry of Labor
 Develops and administers
policies concerning visas and
foreign labor
 Qatarization policies
 Monitors companies to
ensure employment for
Qataris
 Collects and analyzes data on the labor force
to shape policy
Qatar Foundation
 Has the ability to adopt
institutional policies that affect
educational pathways
 Licenses and ensures
quality of international
institutions which form
Hamid Hamad Bin
Khalifa University
 Operates independently of the Supreme
Education Council and hosts campuses of
international universities in Education City
 The Social Development Center
 Qatar International Beauty Academy
Government Training
Institutions
 None  None
 Operated primarily by government ministries,
these institutions do not require licensing from
the SEC unless they offer an formal degrees
Qatar University
 Has the ability to adopt
institutional policies that affect
educational pathways such as
the decision to adopt Arabic
 None
 Emiri Decree (34) Year 2004 established
independent status
 Offers a number of TVET programs in
various professional schools
Company and Semi-
government Training
Centers
 None  None
 Offer TVET courses either on behalf of a
company as part of employee training or
provide specialized training to boost the skills
of job-seekers without offering a degree
Entrepreneurship
Training Centers
 Indirectly influence policy
through programming
 None  Promote the development of business skills
… this means that entities often have overlapping and unclear mandates that influence
perceptions of quality and willingness to enroll in TVET

12. Sector % of Male % of Female Total
Government Sector (Ministry) 70% 73% 71%
State-owned enterprise 13% 12% 13%
Challenge 1: Women are concentrated primarily in the public sector
Employment by economic sector of Qataris as percent of total employment by gender
Economic Activity % of Males % of Females Total
Agriculture, forestry and fishing 0.05% 0.00% 0.03%
Mining and quarrying 12.24% 3.39% 9.34%
Manufacturing 1.45% 0.41% 1.11%
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning 2.20% 0.37% 1.60%
Water supply; sewerage, waste management 0.15% 0.14% 0.15%
Construction 1.13% 0.30% 0.86%
Wholesale and retail trade 1.94% 1.36% 1.75%
Transportation and storage 2.43% 0.41% 1.77%
Accommodation and food service activities 0.72% 0.71% 0.72%
Information and communication 3.13% 2.42% 2.90%
Financial and insurance activities 2.40% 5.40% 3.38%
Real estate activities 1.05% 0.32% 0.81%
Scientific and technical activities 0.40% 0.29% 0.36%
Administrative and support service activities 0.47% 1.68% 0.87%
Public administration and defense 64.54% 35.05% 54.90%
Education 2.98% 33.21% 12.86%
Human health and social work activities 2.01% 12.55% 5.45%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 0.56% 1.91% 1.00%
Other service activities 0.13% 0.06% 0.11%
Challenge 2: Women are concentrated in few economic sectors which tend to be gender segregated and unaligned
with economic ambitions towards knowledge-based development
Qatari employment distribution by industry and gender
When entering the workforce, Qatari women encounter perceptions and barriers
concerning what types of jobs they should hold which leads to segregation
Many of the
sectors that
could absorb
Qatari females
are dominated by
foreign men and
are low wage

13.  Gender segregation perpetuates
labor market segmentation by
decreasing the number of jobs
available to women
 Socio-cultural beliefs about female
employment often encourage women
to pursue certain types of jobs,
namely professional and
administrative positions, in the public
sector
 Cultural preferences that shun
manual work continue to make it
difficult for women to pursue
positions both in the private sector
and technical fields
Cultural Ideas of Appropriate Work Occupational Segregation
1 2 3
Status of Physical or Manual Labor
 The social desirability of the public
sector in many GCC countries is
perpetuated by significant wage
differentials between public sector
roles and salaries offered in technical
fields
 Lack of cultural models of women in
leadership positions, particularly in
the private sector, makes it difficult
for younger women interested in
technical positions to envision
themselves in such roles
 GCC women balancing family
commitments with work are unable to
work on flexible schedules due to
employer resistance to part time
employment modalities
Cultural Models of Women Occupational Prestige
4 5 6
Marriage and Divorce
Family and Labor Laws Limit the
Decisions of Women
 Family and personal status laws
do not ensure that women will
have the opportunity to work
outside the home if she wishes
Nationalization Initiatives Focus
on Male Dominated Industries
 While nationalization initiatives
may open up new avenues to
female employment, they may not
have the intended effect if
nationalization efforts are focused
on male-dominated fields
StructurallabormarketbarrierstoemploymentLaborMarketPolicies
Labor Laws and Constitutional
Protections Are Insufficient
 GCC labor laws fail to adequately
assert the rights of women or limit
women’s rights to engage in certain
types of employment
1 2 3
Socio-cultural perceptions and labor market policies limit female employment in
technical fields in Qatar

14. Economic Structure and Planning Limitations
Predominantly reactive methods of defining workforce skills lead to skills gaps and shortages
 Women selectively apply to “appropriate” jobs while employers believe women are not well qualified
Lack of Diversification
The male-dominated extractive industries remain the major economic sector in GCC nations
Diversification has not led to significant job creation in fields that are acceptable and offer sufficient wages
Foreign Labor
High percentages of foreign males in the private sector may deter female participation
High concentration of male workers encourages women to seek employment in fields with more women
Salaries and Reservation Wages
Due to the attraction of relatively high wages, permanent employment, and status females prefer the public sector
Private sector employers remain hesitant to hire nationals
1
2
3
4
Favorable Conditions of Public Sector Employment
The public sector is perceived as female-friendly and tends to have fewer working hours, better pay and benefits,
and greater job security5
Female Unemployment and Labor Market Transitions
Females face gender-specific barriers to school to work transitions
Women utilize very few strategies for finding employment and rely primarily on government assistance
6
Structural labor market features related to the GCC growth model also serve as
constraints on the fields females can enter

15. -16,909
3,974
-7,279
-5,040
-3,586
-7,874
-12,112
-4,896
-11,267
-2,226 -1,815
-2,960
-8,112 -8,308
-2,596 -2,733
-500
-11,071
-17,439
217
Agriculture,forestry
andfishing
Miningandquarrying
Manufacturing
Electricity,gas,steam
Watersupply;
sewerage,waste
Construction
Wholesaleandretail
trade
Transportation
Accommodation
Informationandcomm.
Financialandinsurance
Realestateactivities
,Scientificandtechnical
Administrativeservice
Education
Humanhealthand
socialwork
Arts,entertainmentand
recreation
Otherserviceactivities
Activitiesofhouseholds
Extraterritorial
organizations
Industry Sectors in Which Females Earn More Than the Average Wage in the Public Sector
(values reflect the monthly average wage differential in Qatari Riyal over the average monthly public sector wage for females)
Industry Sectors in Which Females Earn Less Than the Average Wage in the Public Sector
(values reflect the monthly average wage differential in Qatari Riyal below the average monthly public sector wage for females)
For example, there are very few technical fields in Qatar outside oil and gas that offer
sufficient salaries which would attract females away from the public sector
A key challenge is that O&G tends
to be a male dominated field

16. Cultural
Attitudes and
Perceptions
Towards TVET
Government
Legislation,
Policies and
Initiatives
Educational
Factors
Economic and
Labor Market
Factors
Remaining Issues and Challenges that Must be Addressed
How can attitudes about TVET be changed? What if awareness does not work and the core issue is structural labor market
issues?
How can gender constraints on career choice be minimized?
Negative motivation due to vocational education selection by default whereby only those who cannot make it to general
secondary or higher education elect to go to vocational education
Cultural values and changing views on familial obligations are influential in female labor market and education choice
Do industry stakeholders have sufficient input to the regulatory process?
Are females pushed towards higher education due to the lack of secondary TVET pathways?
Do TVET graduates wind up in TVET fields or is this an alternative entry into the public sector?
Is awareness the problem, or is the issue related to the structure of the labor markets and high reservation wages established
by the public sector?
How are institutional decisions about course offerings made?
Can educators help TVET students overcome concerns about jobs in the private sector that require technical training?
Are curricula aligned with needs of the market or only select sectors that offer sufficient wages on par with the public sector?
Are there sufficient industry partnerships to plan for emerging needs?
Is career guidance sufficient or does wage maximization trump career advice ?
Would more strict university admissions standards promote more TVET students?
How are hiring decisions made at the firm level – are technical skills valued or are generally trained employees at lower wage
preferred?
Doe the ability to import relatively cheap availability imported labor from bias companies towards low-skill methods of
production which compress wages below the reservation wages of Qataris?
At the firm level, how are training decisions made? Do they only seek to eliminate skills gaps resulting from institutional failure
in the education system or do they seek to build firm level capabilities to adopt advanced production practices?
1
2
3
4
There are several issues which need to be considered in order to advance TVET in Qatar;
Here are a few that we believe are essential to address

17. Interested? Have
Questions?
Everything you read here is only meant to give
you a brief overview. You are encouraged to
ask questions. Please contact
Wes Schwalje,
Chief Operating Officer
wes.schwalje@tahseen.ae
Tahseen Consulting’s National Education
and Skills Systems Practice
More information on our education and
national skills systems work is available at:
http://www.tahseen.ae/educationandskills.ht
ml#header