Doha: A new partnership designed to produce evidence-based insights that help to guide the future development of Qatar's workforce has been formed between Qatar Foundation (QF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
According to Qatar News Agency, data and findings from Qatar Foundation's (QF) Alumni Impact Study, a large-scale survey tracking employment outcomes, career trajectories, and perceptions of graduates from QF's universities over the past 25 years, and other labor market-related studies will be used by QF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) to develop five co-authored policy briefs.
These briefs - representing the first formal publication initiative between QF and the ILO since the establishment of the ILO Project Office in Qatar in 2018, will result in policy-focused insights for the nation's decision-makers, providing recommendations that support Qatar's human capital development goals. The five areas that will be addressed through the partnership are bridging skills gaps and mismatches between alumni and employers; national talent retention; the extent to which Qatar's higher education system supports entrepreneurship; how higher education in Qatar can better align with the needs of the labor market; and how to advance gender equality and inclusive employment in Qatar.
The partnership was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between QF and the ILO during the recent WISE 12 Summit in Doha, hosted by QF's global education initiative WISE. President of Higher Education and Education Advisor of QF Francisco Marmolejo stated that the unique education model of QF provides deep insights into the factors that shape meaningful student and alumni outcomes. He emphasized that the collaboration with ILO aims to generate evidence-based perspectives for advancing knowledge through practical policy recommendations that support workforce development and social progress in Qatar and the region.
Country Office Director of the ILO Doha Francesco d'Ovidio noted that this partnership marks the first formal collaboration between the International Labour Organization and Qatar Foundation. By accessing the anonymized dataset of the Alumni Impact Study, the ILO plans to apply its global analytical frameworks and comparative labor market expertise to generate concrete, evidence-based policy recommendations for Qatar. These insights will directly support the ambitions of Qatar National Vision 2030 and the objectives of Qatar's Third National Development Strategy.
QF's Alumni Impact Study has surveyed over an extensive period the paths taken by graduates of eight of its universities, examining employment sectors, skills relevance, career mobility, job satisfaction, and the alignment between education and employment. Utilizing this dataset, the ILO will apply internationally recognized expertise in labor market analysis, skills development, and employment policy to co-author and disseminate the five briefs. These publications will include national dialogue sessions with ministries, universities, employers, and civil society to identify research-backed, actionable pathways for strengthening Qatar's workforce.
In the 30 years since QF was established, over 11,000 students have graduated from its international partner universities and Hamad Bin Khalifa University, in fields such as medicine, engineering, art and design, communications, international affairs, computer sciences, Islamic studies, law and public policy, humanities and social sciences, and business.