Al-Kharji: “Our aim is to see the initiative adopted nationwide during school holidays and beyond.”

More than 700 students took part in Qatar Career Development Center’s (QCDC) ‘Little Employee’ initiative during this week’s school mid-term break, joining their parents and relatives at workplaces across the country. Participation spanned a broad cross-section of Qatar’s public, private, and semi-governmental sectors, including the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, Qatar Tourism, Qatar Media Corporation, Qatar TV, Qatar University, Qatar Red Crescent Society, beIN Media Group, Msheireb Properties, Commercial Bank of Qatar, and Qatar Insurance Company, bringing total participation in 2025 to more than a thousand students to date.

Organized by QCDC, founded by Qatar Foundation (QF), ‘Little Employee’ enables children aged 7–15 to spend a full working day in real-world environments alongside parental role models. This initiative builds early career awareness and strengthening family engagement in career conversations. It is designed with flexible scheduling, allowing families and institutions to make the most of both school breaks and regular workdays.

This week’s surge signals national momentum to use school breaks for structured career exploration, building curiosity, transferable skills, and early informed choices in support of Qatar’s human-capital agenda. After engaging 500 children in 2024, participation has more than doubled in 2025, reflecting stronger public and institutional recognition of the initiative’s value.

“This week’s turnout shows what is possible when families, institutions, and the wider community invest in our children,” said Saad Abdulla Al-Kharji, Executive Director, QCDC. “By opening their doors during the mid-term break, partners across government, media, finance, education, and civil society provided meaningful, age-appropriate exposure to the world of work. They are helping turn education into competence and build a future-ready workforce aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030. We thank all participating entities for championing early career development and community partnership.”

Now in its fifth edition, ‘Little Employee’ offers streamlined pathways for families and employers. QCDC provides interactive workshops and step-by-step guides to structure the day and embed the initiative into CSR and youth-engagement plans. QCDC calls on companies, government and semi-government entities, and NGOs to host additional days this period and in upcoming breaks.

Organizations and parents/guardians can enroll children by visiting QCDC’s official website: www.qcdc.org.qa or contacting qcdc@qf.org.qa.