Research 1

Running Head: QATARIZATION

“Barriers of Qatarization and Keys of Success in Semi-Governmental and the Private

Sector”

Research 2

Abstract

This research dissertation is related to the “Qatarization Program” that is aimed on the

nationalization of the Qatari nationals by increasing their proportion in the Semi-Governmental

and the Private sector. With the help of this research dissertation, I am going to describe the

barriers of Qatarization and key of success in the mentioned two of the sectors. Barriers and key

success factors are discussed through ‘Literature Review’ that is based on the research study and

discussions on Qatarization program. After discussing the barriers and key of success in the

Semi-Government and Private sector, I am going to explain the organization, RasGas Petroleum

Company that is working for the promotion of ‘Qatarization Program’ developed the by Qatar

Government.

It has been found that Qatarization process although has been implemented with much

enthusiasm still needs a lot in order to realize its full benefits. There is need for doing certain

ground work to make the program successful. The dissertation highlighted the need to tackle the

key barriers of the Qatarization Program. It emphasized on formulation of new programs for the

educational institutes as well as colleges to prepare a professional workforce among Qatari

nationals. It asks for the support of oil and gas companies involved in the program to get directly

in such programs for creating a skilled workforce. The government on their part should actively

promote the Quality Qatarization efforts. It should assist Qatari population and organization in

their development programs.

Research 3

Table of Contents

1. Abstract………………………………………………………………………………..2

2. Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………4

3. Chapter 1: Overview, introduction and aims and objectives…………………………..5

4. Chapter 2: Research methodology…………………………………………………….10

5. Chapter 3: Literature review………………………………………………………….14

6. Chapter 4: The research setting e.g. the organization under study……………………33

7. Chapter 5: Results, analysis and findings……………………………………………..44

8. Chapter 6: Discussion – designing an improvement to the situation…………………50

9. Chapter 7: Recommendations/conclusions……………………………………………58

10. Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………62

11. Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………….64

Research 4

Acknowledgements

I am deeply obligated to many people for the productive culmination of this research

dissertation. I wish to give thanks to the supervisor of my thesis in the previous University, from

where I commenced this research. Words can not be sufficient to evince my sense of

appreciation and liability to all the people, who made this research dissertation on ‘Qatarization

Program’ a victorious one. I am particularly helpful to the Moshe Dayan Center, RasGas and

RAND Qatar policy institute, with the help of which, I was able to describe the barriers and key

of success of ‘Qatarziation Program’ that are the main part of my dissertation dissertation.

Research 5

Chapter 1: Introduction, Overview & Aims & Objectives

Introduction

Qatarization is the strategic initiative taken by the Government of Qatar which aimed at

increasing the number of Qatari nationals employed in the country. This process has been

applied by various companies in the Semi-Governmental and the Private sector. In this process,

the companies in Qatar have implemented various programmers through which they are trying to

achieve industry-wide targets of ensuring that nearly 50% of positions in the Energy and Industry

sector in Qatar are under Qatari nationals. Under this process, many Qatari nationals, who are

mostly foreign educated; especially in the United States, are coming back home to take up

important posts, which were held by foreign nationals. The Government of Qatar through these

initiatives aims at increasing the Qatari nationals in the key position in the oil and energy sector

of the company (What is Qatarization, 2009).

In the past years, the Government in Qatar has been trying to enhance its control over the

administration of its ‘Foreign Manpower Programs’. Through this idea, the Government aims at

controlling the influx of foreign workers in the country. The Government also has in fact made

strict ‘entry and immigration rules and regulations’ to keep a check on increase in the foreign

nationals’ employment in the country (Mission Statement, 2009)

This strategic planning of Qatarization was started by His Highness the Emir, Sheikh

Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani in 2000. The first industry- wide plan was initiated through the

Minister of Energy and Industry, H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al Attiyah. The main objective of

this plan was to attain 50 per cent national work force in the local oil and gas sector by May

2005. Through this program, the Government of Qatar reaffirmed human resource, as its top

priority as far as the political, economic and social agenda is concerned. The aim of this program

Research 6

is to increase employment opportunities for the Qatar nationals and reduce unemployment. This

program of Qatar administration is aimed at ascertaining employment stability in this region. The

Government seeks to ensure that growing youth population of the country has ample

employment opportunities. The Government in the first phase of this Qatarization process had

targeted oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The plan kicked off on 1 June, 2000.It was a five

year rolling plan. The time period for this phase was kept till May 2005 (What is Qatarization,

2009).

Overview of the plan

A brief overview of the ‘Qatarization Program’ is discussed below.

Aim of the Program

The main objective of this plan of the Qatar Government is to enhance the percentage of

the nationals in those sectors, which are heavily depended on expatriate employees. This process

of Qatarization follows a structured pattern of recruitment, training, coaching and career

development. This plan is an important part of the Government’s strategic plan for development.

Through this program, the Government wants to ensure that the key positions in the main sectors

of the economy are held by Qatar nationals (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

Industry-wide Plan

This plan is an industry wide program, which covers various industries. The main focus

of this plan is to target the operating and non-operating organizations in Qatar’s energy and

industry sector. This would be a five year rolling program. Quality Qatarization is kept as the

main focus of the program (Successful nationalization, 2007).

Implementation of the plan

A target of five years is kept for the implementation of the plan.

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New Plan

This plan of the Qatar Government is not new to the industries. According to this plan,

various specific activities have been designed to assist the organizations in meeting the man

power requirement, as per the Qatarization target. Various Committees and teams are formed

under this program to study, handle and enforce various activities designed, in order to help an

organization in their Qatarization plans (Successful nationalization, 2007).

Strategic Focus

Through this plan, the main emphasis would be on ‘Quality Qatarization’. This would be

achieved by focusing on the key, sensitive positions through implementation of performance-

based training and development. The main feature of this training and development plan is that it

is not time based. This program requires support and commitment of the staff at all levels

(Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

Training

The new people taken through this program are trained by the Qatar Petroleum’s

Corporate Training Center. This Corporate Training Center helps in coordinating the basic

training with the support of a number of training programs (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009)..

Qatari Development

Through this agenda, the new recruits, join the organization in the capacity of Senior

Staff or Junior Staff levels, which is contingent upon their qualifications or whether they are

employees as a direct hire, or to a place where they would be required in future A tailor made

program is then prepared for the employee depending upon the position the person would be

hired for in future (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

.

Research 8

Qatarization Target

The target of this plan is to 50 percent for the organizations in energy and industry sector.

The focus of the program is the key positions, which are related to an organization’s business

plans. The Government wants to ensure that the companies should have at least 50 per cent in

their permanent positions (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

Support

The companies are expected to provide all the necessary flexibility and support at each

level so that they are able to achieve the target (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

Key Activities

A number of activities have to be performed by the corporations participating in this

program of Qatar Government.

Monitor, Review and Update

This ambitious plan also has a provision of a six-month and annual update and an annual

review, which would be done by H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, who is the Deputy

Premier, Minister of Energy and Industry of Qatar. The ‘Strategic Qatarization Plan’ involves

Steering Committee, which overviews the whole process. It supported by two committees, which

are involved in recruitment and training and development program (Successful nationalization,

2007).

Beside this, the organizations themselves are also involved in evaluation, reviews and

updating their own company plans regarding Qatarization. The updating of the industry-wide

Plan is done annually with the support of the ‘Qatarization Steering Committee’ in cooperation

with Qatarization Unit. The development of the Qatari workforce, through proper education and

Research 9

training, is now a primary national objective designed to enhance the development of the

country.

Mission of the Qatarization Plan

The plan of the Government focuses on the development of the workforce of Qatar

people by providing them with proper education and training. Through this plan, the

administration wants to ensure development of the Qatar nation. With the changing technology

in the fast era of globalization, the national workforce development is an important priority for

the Government of Qatar. The development of the workforce of the country is an important issue

surrounding the country’s development program. The economic growth of the country is highly

dependent on the country’s workforce (Mission Statement, 2009)

The success of this program of Qatar Government is heavily dependent on the individual

ownership and resource mobilization. The organization participating in this program is required

to provide full commitment and support of its Employees and Managers. The Strategic

Qatarization Plan in addition, also requires collaboration and coordination of Government

Ministries and Institutions with the Energy & Industry Sector. The expatriates are seen more as a

partner in this plan of Qatarization and their support is vital for the success. These expatriates,

who have worked favorably with this program, are an important part of the workforce (Strategic

Qatarization Plan, 2009).

These expatriates, who are performing extraordinarily, would be employed in the new

business developments and expansions of the Energy and Industry Sector. The Government

through this program calls for all the citizens of the Qatar that are seeking development and

advancement and are eligible according to the set criteria of employment in the Energy and

Industry Sector (Strategic Qatarization Plan, 2009).

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Benefits of Qatarization:

Barriers to Qatarization:

The Qatarization program has not been able to achieve the desired level of success because of

many barriers encountered in the implementation phase. Some of these hurdles are posed by

inefficiencies on part of the government to play full role and take initiatives to make the program

a success; while others are because of the lack of resources and lack of skills possessed by the

Qatari nationals; other factors such as the acceptability on part of the private and semi-

government organizations in Qatar for the Qatari nationals in their workforce also plays a role to

the extent of the success of the Qatarization program.

One of the main barriers lying in front of the success of Qatarization program is the lack of skill

base and trained workforce in the Qatari nationals. They lack proper vocational training and

technological skills which are very essential if they wish to be a part of the workforce at the

private and semi-governmental organizations.

Another factor which acts as a hurdle in the successful implementation of the Qatarization

program is the lack of interest and initiatives exhibited by the Qatar government. The reason

behind this disinterest is that such programs are initiated without any proper long-term vision and

planning. The officials and other stakeholders in such programs just take a step to start the

program but take no interest in proper implementation and success of such plans. The required

measures are not taken because of lack of performance evaluation during the process of

implementation. This results in a form of stagnant situation where the required resources for the

desired success are not made available. Related to this factor, the lack of organization of

Research 11

investments for promoting such programs, and the lack of consensus in decision-making while

allocation of resources also pose barriers to the attainment of the desired objectives of the

Qatarization program. Besides, there are several cultural, social and political factors which act as

hurdles such as lack of cooperation among the officials of the departments involved in the

implementation process, the language, lack of technical skills and practical and advanced

knowledge among the Qatari nationals, the teaching style and the content of the curriculum

taught at the Qatari educational institutes, the lack of leadership skills and the inability or

hesitation to take initiatives by the Qatari nationals, and the lack of work ethics and morale

possessed by the Qatari nationals.

Research 12

Aims and Objectives

The research project is on the ‘Barriers of Qatarization’ and ‘Keys of Success in the

Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector’. Through this project, the Qatarization initiative of

the Government would be critically analyzed. This research dissertation mainly focuses on the

various barriers facing this strategic initiative taken by the Government of Qatar. Besides this, it

also looks at the various factors affecting the success of this Qatarization process in the Semi-

Governmental and the Private Sector.

The various aims and objectives of this research dissertation are discussed below:

The dissertation elaborates upon the various barriers or hurdles, which are creating

problem for this plan of the Government.

The document looks at many factors, which affect the success of this Qatarization process

in the Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector.

The dissertation studies the implementation of the process, as well at the changes and

success rate of this program in the organization.

The dissertation looks at the various problems surrounding this process of Qatarization.

The dissertation researches the process of Qatarization and its significance in the context

of the country development plan. It looks at the current and relevant literature regarding this

subject. The dissertation presents a methodological approach towards looking at this research

problem.

This research also looks at the current scenario of this process and its implementation in Qatar.

The research also takes in studies, the impact of this process in one of the organization in Qatar,

implementing the process. The document finds out the various solutions, which can be applied to

improve this initiative of Qatar’s Government.

Research 13

Research 14

Chapter 2: Research methodology

Research methods

The research methodology selected for this dissertation was questionnaire method. This is

the crucial part of overall research, wherein various inferences are gathered about the main

aspects of research topics and key issues that are of importance. This method includes placing a

series of different questions, which are based on the main aspects of the issue or topic. In this

research, key topic is qatarization, so the questionnaire was based on the qatarization program.

With the help of this research method, it became easy to analyze the efficiency of the

qatarization program and its performance in the last years. Questionnaire format was kept as

simple and easy as possible so as to assist the target population to answer the questions without

any difficulty. Major aim of this questionnaire was to gather information about the progress and

influence of qatarization program in Qatar. Responses obtained after the questionnaire method

were also bias free, which is advantageous from research point of view (Marczyk, DeMatteo &

Festinger, 2005).

The situation at Ras Gas was studied through going through periodicals, websites, annual

reports, magazines etc. Various kinds of information were collected on the qatarization initiative

taken by the Ras Gas Management through the sources mentioned above. The employee’s at the

organization were questioned through the research survey which involved taking their response

from the questionnaire. For this research on qatarization, questionnaire methodology of research

was mainly employed. This questionnaire developed was sent to 50 people of Ras Gas as target

population. The questionnaire format formulated this research basically consisted of close ended

questions. The reason for choosing this format was that it was easy to administer. It assisted in

analyzing the critical aspects and overview of the private organization regarding the qatarization

Research 15

policy and programs. This research method followed a sequential series of well structured

questions that are related or appropriate for the research purpose. Questions of this research

method probed and analyzed the initiatives taken by the government of Qatar to realize the stated

goals and objectives of qatarization program (Mackey, Susan & Gass 2005). The questionnaire

probes the basic problems and issues faced by the people that are actually affected by this

process. It asks for their opinion regarding the various barriers which are influencing the plan.

The views regarding the implementation of this plan are also looked through this survey. The

basic factors relating to the success of this program are also considered through this survey. Thus

it can be seen that the basis of the survey has been the research objectives developed for this

dissertation.

The questionnaire format adopted for this research is given below:

1. Do you think this is so early to develop qatarization?

a)Yes

b) No

c) can’t say

2. What is the ratio of its likely success in future?

a) 20-40-%

b) 40-60%

c) 60-80%

d) 80-100%

Research 16

3. Is this plan of government helpful for Qatari nationals?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Can’t say

4. Are Qatari nationals trained enough for private sector jobs?

a) Yes

b) No

5. What is ratio of Qatari nationals in private sector jobs?

a) 25-45%

b) 45-65%

c) 65-85%

6. Are the policies appropriate for set targets of qatarization?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Can’t say

7. Do you think the resources used by government of Qatar are adequate?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Can’t say

8. Are the initiatives taken by Qatar enough for the attainment of qatarization goals and

objectives?

a) Yes

b) No

Research 17

9. Are Qatari nationals benefited from the program of qatarization?

a) Yes

b) No

c) Can’t say

The questionnaire was sent to 50 people working for Ras Gas. Their response were collected

and reported. The results of this survey would be discussed in the results and finding section. The

survey assisted in identifying the issues considered essential by the respondents. Apart from this,

the results of questionnaire rendered an overview about the impact of qatarization on the Qatari

nationals. This questionnaire helped in analyzing the opinion of the professionals of this well

known private organization. Apart from this, questionnaire also assisted in performing the

research related to qatarization in an easy and successful manner.

Research 18

Chapter 3: Literature review

Literature Review

“Qatarization” is the policy developed to improve the overall conditions in Qatari

nationals in the Governmental departments and divisions, all over the world. According to this

research, there are numerous barriers, which are identified in the execution of this policy (What

is Qatarization, 2009). In Qatar, the indisposition of most nationals to work in manual

occupations, along with the lack of satisfactory vocational training and technological education,

play as a major barrier in the implementation of policy of qatarization. Qatar has attained a

remarkable and tremendous growth in the economic segment. Main policy of Qatar is to

strengthen its economy towards a ‘knowledge based’ economy (World Bank, 2007). By

developing the human resources of Qatar through competent knowledge, the Government wants

to attain success in the private sector (Labor, nd).

Qatar has previously implemented various ‘knowledge economy projects’ and measures

in the direction of Qatarization, which reflect the initiatives taken by this country to attain the

stated goals and objectives of this mentioned program. There is a key barrier in the program of

Qatarization, which lies in the fact, which states that most of these projects and measures are

initiated without any long term vision, along with some inputs or efforts from the chief

stakeholders. According to the data and study, it is inferred that Qatar has received a

groundbreaking growth economically in the last five years, which encouraged or fostered this

nation to adopt programs like ‘Qatarization’ for taking part in the Semi-Governmental and

Private sector, in order to make the nation more advanced (The state Of Qatar, nd).

Qatar has developed various measures to improve its position in the private sector.

According to the data, most of the Qatar organizations are building new activities to strengthen

Research 19

their information technology sector, so as to gain the advantage of new emerging technologies

and trends in the field of IT. Qatar authorities are developing new reforms for the employers to

improve the conditions of their workforce by giving them fuller benefits and wages. According

to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s forecasts, financial system of Qatar is anticipated to

continue high executing, in terms of monetary growth at approximately 9 % in real terms.

Unremitting rapid elaboration of Qatar’s ‘Liquefied Natural Gas’ (LNG) industry is resulting in

the steep increase in volume of export, which plays a key role in the attainment of goals and

objectives of Qatarization (TradeArabia, 2010).

New oil capacity of Qatar is also imparting in the maximization of exports volumes

(GCC-Power, 2010). According to the estimates, output of affiliated condensates will also blow

up and there will be corroborated development in other gas based industrial ventures, for

instance; projects under development, arrived at culmination remarkably in the petrochemical

sectors, which reflects the increasing probability of Qatar in improving its position in the oath of

privatization and attaining the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program (Qatar, nd).

Lack of strategic intent among the Qatar nationals is also the main hurdle in the

attainment of goals and objectives of Qatarization. Improper development of programs and

practices for the economic development by the authorities of Qatar is also considered to be a

major difficulty in the direction of Qatarization (Toffler, 2010). Poor decision making of the

Authoritative people of Qatari nation also plays as a barricade in path of qatarization program,

which restricts Qatar to attain the affirmed aims and objectives of the plan. According to the

study, the demographic and socio-economic policies of Qatar are also major difficulties for

Qatarization (Turning Qatar into a Competitive Knowledge- Based Economy, 2007).

Research 20

According to the research, the investments made by Qatar are largely unorganized,

without a nationwide vision for the future of Qatar and are often intemperately depending on

foreign power and skills, which is also a key obstruction in the path of Qatarization program for

the nation. Lack of consensus decision making in the development of programs and investments

regarding the nation’s welfare is also a form of barrier, which restricts Qatar organizations to

perform their role in the Qatarization successfully, for the accomplishment of certain goals

(Kellermanns, 2005).

According to the research, Psychological overview of the people can also said to be a

barricade, which came in the path of Qatarization. Cultural, social and political issues are also

the key barriers, which usually come in the path of qatarization. Lack of corporation among the

higher departments of the nation is also a factor, which restricts to perform well in qatarization

program. Language is also a barrier of qatarization, as different nations have different languages,

which come in the path of qatarization (RasGas Magazine Issue 12). Lack of technical know-

how in Qatari organizations is also an obstacle for the program of qatarization.

Lack of practical and advanced knowledge among the citizens of Qatar is also a key

barrier for the program of qatarization, as without having proper knowledge about the

international business; it is not possible for the Qatari nationals to occupy a higher position in the

large sized private corporations and semiprivate sector. Poor decision making of the higher

authority individuals of Qatar is also a form of hurdle in the path of qatarization. Out-dated

teaching style of the teaching workforce of Qatar is also a hurdle for the qatarization program

and restricts Qatar to position its nationals at higher hierarchy in the multinationals across the

world (Qatarization, 2006).

Research 21

According to the research, lack of adequate scholarship programs and plans for the poor

students, who are talented and deserving candidates for the higher positions, is also a barrier in

the path of Qatarization of Qatari nationals. Lack of strategic intent in the scholarship programs

also serves as an obstacle for the program of Qatarization. Lack of employment initiatives in

Qatar is again a form of obstacle, which restricts the attainment of stated goals and objectives of

Qatarization (Gibbs, 2010).

Lack of leadership skills among the citizens of Qatar is an obstacle for Qatar in its path of

Qatarization. Incompatibility in the technological innovations is also a form of barrier for the

program of Qatarization. Lack of cooperation among the citizens also plays as a barrier for Qatar

in its path of Qatarization to increase the number of Qatari nationals in multinational

corporations at higher position. Students of Qatar are not implemented with required skills and

competent knowledge needed to face the competition at global level. Tools and techniques used

by the educational institutes are not as efficient as required by the multinational organizations to

compete in the global market in a successful manner and due to this factor; most of the students

fail to attain higher positions in private sector.

According to the research, knowledge gap that exists between the Qatari nationals and

other countries nationals is a key barrier, which restricts the path of Qatarization in a vital

manner. Teaching methodology used in the educational institutes is not very effective, which

plays as an obstacle for the attainment of stated goals and objectives of Qatarization. Self-centric

attitude of citizens in Qatar is also a major cause that comes in the path of Qatarization.

According to Winckler, lack of technical know-how is a main barrier in the implementation of

Qatarization policy (Winckler, 2000).

Research 22

Increasing globalization is also a barrier in the path of Qatarization, as it poses challenges

through competition to the students of less developed countries like Arabian nations. Complexity

of course is also a form of barrier that restricts Qatar from increasing employment opportunities

for Qatari nationals in semi-government as well as private sector. Lack of work ethics in the

corporations of Qatar is also a form of barrier in the path of Qatarization. Citizens of Qatar do

not have proper knowledge about the values and assumptions about the cultural issues and

aspects. According to the research, lack of motivation among the workforce of Qatar also serves

as a barrier for the program of Qatarization. Lack of bonuses, incentives and slow promotions are

also major barriers in the direction of Qatarization.

According to the study, it is revealed that most of the citizens do not have the clear

knowledge about the organizational culture and their practices, which further prove for them as a

major challenge in adjusting in different work cultures. Due to lack of organizational culture,

most of the citizens of Qatar feel frustrated in other nations, as a result their motivational as well

as confidence level gets affected, which also serves as a barrier for Qatar in its path of

Qatarization program.

According to the survey, it can be inferred that women population do not receive similar

treatment from the educational institutes as like of males, so this behavior of discrimination is

also a form of barrier in the direction of Qatarization program. Lack of exposure to the female

students in the educational institutes is also a form of barrier, which restricts the program of

Qatarization. Lack of motivation among the female citizens of Qatar for the private sector jobs is

also a major cause that comes in the path of Qatarization (Towards Qatar’s National Strategy

Issues and Challenges).

Research 23

Apart from this, lack of concern for the female citizens in Qatar is also a barrier in the

direction of Qatarization. Poor status of women in the society of Qatar is also a major barrier that

restricts Qatar to attain the set targets in an effective manner. Lack of enthusiasm among the

female citizens is a barrier that inhibits Qatar to attain the stated goals and objectives of

Qatarization program. Lack of proper knowledge among the citizens about the key requirements

and qualification to work successfully in the private energy sector is a barrier for the Qatarization

program (AME, 2007).

According to the study, it is anticipated that Qatar can take the advantage of numerous

success factors to strengthen its position in the Semi-Governmental and Private sectors, for

instance, Qatar has high macroeconomic stability and growth and a high political permanency.

These factors are sufficient for Qatar and its organizations to prove themselves at the global

platform in a credible manner. Economic surplus is another key of success to improve the

position of Qatar in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector (RAND Qatar Policy Institute).

Apart from this, Qatar has previously invested intemperately in health, education,

infrastructure and construction projects, which will help confirm high growth levels. Rapidly

growing population of the consumers in Qatar also plays as a key of success in improving the

position of Qatar in the Semi-Governmental and Private sectors. Qatar should establish a

sustainable ‘knowledge economy’ by diversifying its economy and must be less contingent upon

importing skills and knowledge, in order to improve its position in these two sectors (Wikipedia,

2010). In order to attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program, Qatar should

focus its consideration on key pillars of the economy. These are as follow:

Economic incentives and Institutional regime: This pillar is a key of success for Qatar to

attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization, as it fosters the extensive and effective use

Research 24

of local, as well as, global cognition in the economy, which encourages entrepreneurship and that

allows & supports associated social transformations in Qatar in a credible manner that is

essential to improve the position in the program.

Society of Flexible and Skilled People: By offering quality education, life- long learning

and jobs to all the people of Qatar, it is possible for Qatar to improve its position in the Semi-

Governmental and Private sectors.

Dynamic Infrastructure and Telecommunication Structure: By developing a dynamic

infrastructure and telecommunication structure, it is possible for Qatar to offer efficient services

and tools to all the people, which further will assist this country to actualize the stated goals and

objectives of Qatarization (Turning Qatar into a Competitive Knowledge- Based Economy,

2007).

Efficient Innovation System: By developing an efficient innovation system, which

consists of Firms, Scientific Universities, Research Centers, which have the ability to tap into

and add to attain knowledge at the global level; it will be easy for Qatar to attain the stated goals

and objectives of Qatarization program in a significant manner. According to the research,

having an innovative system is a boon for the country, in order to meet the local needs of their

consumers in a competitive manner, as compared to other countries.

Apart from this, development pattern of Qatar also serves as a key of success in its

participation in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector. ‘Knowledge Assessment

Methodology’ is also a factor of success for Qatar, as it assists to benchmark the position of

Qatar in comparison to others in the global economy. With the help of this knowledge

assessment methodology (KAM), it is possible for Qatar to assess the extent of development of

Research 25

other nations in an effective manner. By maintaining the innovation level, Qatar can contribute a

lot to its program of Qatarization.

By leveraging the technological know how, Qatar can handle different forms of barriers

and perform successfully in the Semi-Governmental and Private sector program. According to

the research, informative communication technology can prove to be one of the main success

factors for attaining the aims of Qatarization. Integration with ‘E-education’ by Qatar can also

prove to be a positive aspect for the attainment of the Qatarization goals. According to the

research, by strengthening the cyber security, Qatar can improve its position in the semi-

governmental and private sector in a significant manner. Human capital is also a key of success

to perform better the semi-governmental and private sector.

E-business is also a key success factor, which can assist Qatari nationals to perform better

in the program of Qatarization. By increasing awareness, trust and skills in the environment, it

can be possible for Qatar to actualize the goals and objectives of Qatarization. E-governance is

also a key factor for improvement in the Qatarization. Gas and oil corporations of Qatari

nationals can also play as a key of success in their semi-governmental and private sector

initiatives and projects by providing them adequate know-how and assistance. Technical

knowledge and capital investment in IOC is also a key of success for Qatari nationals to perform

well in the semi-governmental and private sector for the major projects and initiatives.

Apart from this, by providing training and employing Qatari nationals, it is possible to

lead out the program of Qatarization in a successful manner. Education is also a key success

factor for Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental and private sector projects. According to the

research, by providing proper education and learning to the citizens of the Qatar, it is possible for

the nation to increase its involvement in semi-governmental and private sector in a credible

Research 26

manner. Specific knowledge and skills is also a factor of success to increase the employment

opportunities in the semi-governmental and private sector. Quality education is a key factor to

increase the employment of the citizens in the semi-governmental and private sector. Integration

of small and large sized educational institution is also a key of success, which imparts Qatar to

increase its probability of employment in the semi-governmental and private sector (Jensen,

2009).

Training and learning is another key factor to foster the participation of Qatari nationals

in Qatarization program of increasing the employment in the energy and industry sector. By

implementing proper labor market strategy, it is possible to improve the number of citizens in the

semi-governmental and private sector in a profound manner, so this factor also plays the success

factor for the Qatari nationals. Social friendly environment is also a key of success to increase

the participation in the program of Qatarization. Competent and skilled human resource is also a

key to increase the employment in the private and semi-governmental sector (The Pioneer,

2008).

Enhanced knowledge and proficiency also serves as a key of success for the qatarization

program, as this will assist in increasing the number of Qatari nationals at the higher positions

and designation in the semi-governmental as well as private corporations across the world.

Advancement in the technical education is also a key of success for the successful attainment of

Qatarization goals and objectives. Innovative practices also assist Qatar to increase the number

or ratio of the Qatari nationals in the private and semiprivate sector at renowned positions.

Up-gradation of existing educational system of Qatar is the main key of success to

actualize the goals and objectives of Qatarization in a timely and effective manner. By giving

students the practical knowledge and pouring them with the required skills, it is possible for

Research 27

Qatar to maximize a considerable proportion of the Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental

and private sector in a potent manner. By making heavy investment in the research initiatives

taken by the educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to actualize the stated goals and

objectives of Qatarization. According to the research, by strengthening the existing pattern of

education run by the educational institutes, Qatar can make it possible to increase Qatari

nationals at multinational enterprises in a profound manner.

By setting some strategic roles for the educational leaders, it is possible for Qatar to

maximize the proportion of Qatari nationals in the semi-governmental and private sector in a

significant manner. Educational goals can also play as a key of success for the path of

Qatarization. By changing the old patterns of educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to

improve the conditions of the Qatari nationals in the multinationals as a part of Qatarization. By

developing some measures in the direction of increasing the participation of the Qatari nationals,

it is possible for Qatar to increase the number of their nationals in the multinational organizations

in a significant manner (Qatarization).

According to the research, by conducting a research on the educational institutes and their

activities, it is also possible to increase the number of Qatari nationals in the semi-government

and private sector in a credible manner. By increasing the virtual classes in the educational

institutes, it is possible for the country to maximize the number of their nationals in the

multinational corporations across the world. Apart from this, by motivating the educational

leaders towards the development of some benchmarks for the students, the nation can increase

the employment opportunities for their citizens at international level in a significant manner.

According to Augustine and Crop, it is essential for Qatar to start some new scholarship

programs in order to provide assistance to the incapable students. Qatar should take initiatives to

Research 28

stated goals and objectives of Qatarization can be achieved. Qatar should provide best class

education to the students in order to develop an in-depth knowledge about the key issues and

topics related to the international aspects.

In order to fulfill the stated purposes of Qatarization, Qatar should change the study

pattern of the students by including current issues of international level. By developing social

programs, it is possible for Qatar to attain the goals and objectives of Qatarization. By

encouraging the cultural identity among the students during the course of their educational

practices, it can be possible for Qatar to increase the participation of Qatari nationals in the semi-

governmental and private sector (Qatar Petroluem, Qatarization, nd). According to the research,

high-tech quality education is a key of success to perform in the Qatarization program in an

effective manner.

By increasing the participation in the curriculum activities of the students, it is also

possible for Qatar to enhance the confidence of the students in the well known multinational

corporations at significant level. By increasing the participation of the students in the

international level programs and activities, Qatar can increase the knowledge base of the

students, which is required to face the competition posed by the other students of more advanced

countries at global level and this will assist Qatar to increase the employment opportunities in

semi-government and private sector. According to the national report for the vision of Qatar

2030, investment in capital building is another key of success to attain the stated targets of

Qatarization, as this will foster or enhance the development of pioneering and motivated

workforce (Qatar National Vision 2030).

Harmonization and coordination is another key of success that is capable to attain the

stated targets of Qatarization program in a profound manner. Enhanced communication skills are

Research 29

also a means of success for the program of Qatarization. According to the research, proficiency

in communication skills is also a factor, which plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of

Qatarization program. Stakeholder engagement can also assist Qatar to increase the employment

opportunity for the Qatari nationals in semi-government and private sector (an ambitious plan,

RasGas, nd). By increasing the resources required by the educational institutes, it can be possible

for Qatar to increase job opportunities in the government and energy sector in a significant

manner.

According to research, Qatar should increase development programs for the Qatari

nationals to enhance their critical skills required to perform at global platform, which will further

assist in increasing the probability of capturing employment in governmental as well as private

sector. Planning and decision making skills are also a key of success to attain the stated targets of

Qatarization program in a timely manner (Strategic Qatarization Plan). By implementing

brainstorming practices in the educational institutes, it is possible for Qatar to increase the

employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector in a weighty manner.

By increasing the involvement of students in general discussions, it is possible for Qatar

to increase the employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector. Active

participation of the students in the decision making and innovative practices is also a key of

success to increase the employment opportunities in the semi-government and private sector.

According to research, by providing training to the workforce about the changing and innovative

technologies of working, it is helpful for the nation to attain the stated goals and objectives of

Qatarization program.

By sponsoring different programs for the workforce and labor of Qatar, it is possible for

Qatar to meet the unmet needs of these workforces, which are necessary to face the challenges

Research 30

posed by the increasing globalization. A groundbreaking strategic plan is also a key of success to

perform well in the program of Qatarization. By pouring the educational institutes with adequate

sources that are essential to guide and educate the students in a right way is also a solution for

increasing the job opportunities in the semi-government and private energy sector in a

considerable manner (Energy & Industry Sector Celebrates Qatarization Milestone, Qatarization,

2006). Apart from this, good strategies are also the important factors that will assist Qatar to

increase the chances for its labor force to capture jobs in the semi-government and private sector.

According to the study of Qatar, it is inferred that implementation practices in this

country are not as effective as required by the increasing globalization. By improving the

knowledge of cultural barriers, it is possible for Qatar to grip a groundbreaking part of Qatari

nationals in the government and private sector. To increase the ratio of Qatari nationals in private

sector, Qatar can open some professional courses in the existing study blueprint; which will

further attend the Qatari nationals to gain an in-sight about the benefits of working in private

sector. By heightening the concern level of the Qatari nationals about the private sector and

benefits offered by it, it is possible for Qatar to lure the attention of the workforce to take

initiatory for working in semi-government and private sector. In order to tempt Qatari nationals

for working in government and private energy sector, Qatar can make it compulsory for the

educational institutes to develop a counseling department that counsel the students about the

private sectors and its welfares.

According to research with an in-depth knowledge about the social, political, legal,

technological and cultural barriers, it is possible for Qatar to increase job opportunities for Qatari

nationals in the government as well as private sector. An in-depth knowledge about the current

affairs of the developed and advanced countries can impart the students of Qatar to crack the

Research 31

competition posed by the students of other more advanced countries, which will further assist

Qatar to maximize the jobs in government and private energy sector. Apart from this, by making

the selection pattern of the higher educational institutes, it is also possible for Qatar to maximize

the number of professions, who further can place themselves at higher positions in the

multinational organizations.

According to research, an in-depth knowledge about the workforce diversity issues is also

a key of success for the citizens of Qatar to capture a large portion of higher position jobs in the

semi-government and private sector. Knowledge management (KM) can also be proved as a

solution for the program of Qatarization in a profound manner. Apart from this, strategic

knowledge about the operations and activities of private sector is also a key of success for Qatar

in its plan of Qatarization. By adorning heavily in the educational practices as well as programs,

it is possible for Qatar to increment the number of Qatari nationals in semi-government and

private sector in a potent mode.

Categorization of the key topics related to the international issues is also a factor that

makes it possible for Qatar to increase the employment opportunities in private and semi-

government sector. Focusing on capacity building is also helpful for Qatar to place the workforce

at higher positions in the semi-government and private sector. Qatarization program or policy is

based on the grounds to maximize the proportion of women and men in the government and

private sector equally and in order to realize this goal; Qatar can keep a check on those

educational institutes, which discriminate among the female and male students. Apart from this,

by implementing some fair policies for the women participations, it is possible for Qatar to

increase the number of female employees in the private and semi-government sector in an

effective manner.

Research 32

By taking initiatives for the female workforce of Qatar it is possible to increase a

considerable proportion of female and male employees in the multinational energy sector in a

profound manner. By counseling the female population of Qatar in the family planning matter

due to which they are unable to concentrate on career opportunities, it is possible for Qatar to

maximize an equal proportion in the higher positioned jobs at multinationals. Apart from this, by

increasing the involvement of female population in the career advancement activities, it is

possible for Qatar to attain the stated goals of Qatarization program. According to the research,

by implementing the policies developed for Qatarization program in a strict manner, it is possible

for Qatar to handle with the obstacles and attain the stated goals and objectives of this program

in a timely mode (Qatarization, 2006).

By reducing the reliance on expatriate workers, it is possible for Qatar to place Qatari

nationals in semi-government and private energy sector. Open discussion on the key issues faced

by the female population of Qatar is also a key of success to increase the proportion of female

employees in the private oil and gas sector in an insightful manner. According to the research, by

counseling the female population in the matter of social issues, it is possible for Qatar to attain

the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization program. Effective implementation of the

developed policies and plans in timely manner is also a key of success to actualize the targets of

Qatarization program in a significant manner. By strictly following all the measures and

amendments developed for changes in the educational institutes is also helpful for attaining the

goals of Qatarization program.

In the article by Information and communication technologies “Qatar: Leveraging

Technology to Create a Knowledge-Based Economy in the Middle East” by Hessa Al-Jaber and

Soumitra Dutta, talks about the current change in nation technological environment with respect

Research 33

to the process of Qatarization. In this nation, the technological revolution is happening with the

collaboration from the Government’s economic reforms. The main focus of this technological

initiative taken by the Government is to make a basic platform for a competitive economy, where

there is full availability to the social services and establishing a ‘knowledge- based’ society. One

of the basic aims of Qatarization process is creation of information based economy, which can be

made possible through variety of information technology reforms (Dutta & Jaber, 2008).

These reforms taken by the information and communication technology community is

supposed to produce a multiplier effect, affecting all sectors. This would work in combination

with the political reforms, which would ultimately help the country to become a fully developed

nation. The various programs initiated by the information and communication technology

committee have started to have an impact upon the development of the country. In 2007–2008, in

Networked Readiness Index (NRI) the country achieved 32nd position. The national Qatarization

plans in its full force are helping this movement. Various initiatives have been taken in many

fronts. Various policy reforms have been started along with programs to address security

concerns (Al-jaber & Dutta, 2007).

The information and communication technology’s initiatives have been taken in various

fields like health care, education, e-government and infrastructure. There have been steps taken

to deregulation the telecommunications sector. In today’s date Qatar has one of the best

penetration rates in telecommunications sector, which consist of both mobile and fixed line, as

well as, the Internet in this region. The company economy is well suitable for these initiatives.

The country has a very small population, which has high per capita income amounting to more

than US$67,000 (U.S. State Department, 2010).

Research 34

According to this report, there are various hurdles, which have to be overcome if this

initiative of the government has to be successful. These hurdles are dearth of trained workers,

various social norms, misconceptions regarding technology and various problems of

Governmental and Agency coordination. But these issues are not very powerful deterrents.

According to the article, strong leadership, courage and conviction would help in make these

initiatives a success and it would result in making Qatar a powerful nation on ‘technological

scenario’. This article provides information regarding how this transformation of Qatar in

knowledge- based economy and a top notch nation in technology-driven excellence in this region

has been taking place. It talks about the vision and framework of this entire plan.

The Information and communication strategy from the starting reflected a very powerful

Qatarization influence. The Information and communication technology is highly committed to

capacity building in local talent. It also has taken steps to ensure reduction in dependence

towards the foreign nationals. The country’s growing population of young engineers would help

to ensure that this plan is a success in the long run. Various steps like the Awareness

/Community/ Environment (ACE) consist of variety of long term lobbying initiatives (Al-jaber &

Dutta, 2007).

One of such initiatives under this program is to overcoming the present information and

communication technology skill shortage by legal provisions. There are various steps taken to

ensure that the nationality-based immigration laws are shifted to skill-based ones. There would

be focused awareness campaigns like plans for strengthening e-banking services by organization

in coordination with the commercial banks. These initiatives would help in the overall

development of the Qatarization plan.

Research 35

In the report by Dahlia Shaham, “Foreign Labor in the Arab Gulf: Challenges to

Nationalization” talks about the current immigration laws and foreign nationals in the Arab

region. The Author provides information regarding the problems faced by the Gulf Cooperation

Council. The inflation rates in these countries are rising, as oil prices are increasing. In view of

various problems faced by the Gulf countries, one of the pressing issues is of limitation of the

residency visa for the foreign nationals. Regulation of labor market, especially, the foreign

nationals is a cause of concern for these nations. This has a major influence on the economy, as

well as, the politics of these states (Shaham, 2009).

This issue is major linked to the various ups and downs in the economic and political

development in the countries. These issues also relate to the financial surpluses and acute

shortage of human capital. In this dissertation, this concern of the gulf nations has been

discussed. The writer also talks about various factors behind these issues and various attempts of

the Government to regulate the labor market. The SGC’s (Small Gulf Countries) which consist

of The Kingdom of Bahrain, The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar are currently most

affected by this problem (Shaham, 2009).

Due to similar nature of their traditions, territory and population size, political systems

origins, as well as, the economic growth has resulted in creation of similar market trends in these

countries. These countries in the last few years have increasingly become aware of various

deficiencies related to the sponsorship system and the various socio economic problems formed

by the growing dependence on the foreign labor. All these nations have shown their inclination

to reform this present system followed in the labor markets. These nations are growing

concerned with the dominance of the foreign nationals; especially, which are skilled in the

private market, as well as, the lack of ability of the nationals to enter those markets. Therefore, it

Research 36

has led to adoption of policies like “Emiratization, Qatarization, Kuwaitization and

Bahrainization” which are aimed at enhancing the participation of the locals in the private sector

of the economy (Shaham, 2009).

These ‘Labor Nationalization Projects’ have adopted various measures, which can be basically

divided in two strategies. The first strategy consists of ‘Direct Policies’, which are aimed to

increase the national population in the private sector. The second strategy consists of ‘Indirect

Policies’, which are aimed at elevating the costs of foreign labor, so that a level- playing field

can be established among the expatriates and locals (Shaham, 2009).

A long term approach in this direction of enhancing the local workforce presence in the

private sector is of reforming the education and training policies. The traditional administrative

system would not be able to impart this, therefore, public and private collaboration have been

called by the Government to achieve better success rate. The Qatarization process consists of the

‘Quota System’ in collaboration with various training initiatives. The goal of this process is to

achieve 50 percent, as far as the local employment in the energy sector is concerned within five

years. The leading companies in the energy sector have been roped in to collaborate with the

Governmental strategy. These companies help in various processes like locating, training and

employing the nationals of Qatar (Shaham, 2009).

The main challenge in this process of reforming the labor markets has been of ‘Effective

Governance and Implementation’. The various problems faced by these reforms are widely

accepted illegal workforce, lack of transparency in the policies and distribution of information.

In addition to that, there are problems relating to work force, problems in transparency and

decrees and lack of laws, which has created an environment, which has made the implementation

of these policies difficult for the Government.

Research 37

According to a report in the online Qatar, most of the private organizations are in state of

shock at the government directive which was issued by Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to

make 20 percent of their workforce consisting of nationals. According to member of Qatar

Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), this directive is very challenging and too early as

the companies are already facing inflation and other related problems. Most of the private

businessmen are not too enthusiastic about this move of the government. A major reason for their

dissatisfaction is the fact that most of the departments and ministries of the government have

majority of foreign nationals working for them (Qatarization drive takes private firms by

surprise, 2008).

In government hospitals, most of the female secretaries are foreigners. Some of the

nationals are dissatisfied as they feel that there is not enough labor to fill the 20 percent quota.

There is acute shortage of local people in many industries. In addition, the local population

would not accept the rules and terms of employment which are issued to the foreign nationals.

For example, the local population won’t get ready to work in double shifts and as hard as the

foreign nationals. According to them, the decision is ill timed.

Summary of Literature Review

The main points of this process covered through literature review are summarized in this

passage. The qatarization process is basically an effort taken by the Qatari government to

improve the participation of Qatari nationals in private and government organizations. There are

various problems that affect the success of this program. Inadequate vocational training and

technological education is hindering the growth of the plan. Most of the projects under this plan

have been implemented without having a long term vision. The country in the last few years has

registered a thumping growth rate which is a major reason behind the initialization of this

Research 38

program. The program has been suffering due to absence of strategic intent among the Qatari

nationals.

Lack of development of programs as well as practices for economic development is

resulting in difficulties for the program. Poor decision making by the authorities is also affecting

the implementation process in addition to its demographic and socio-economic policies. The

nation has a long way to go till it reduces its dependence on foreign power and skills. Other than

this there are hosts of cultural, social and political issues that are affecting this process. Outdated

training methods, lack of coordination as well as practical and advanced knowledge along with

poor leadership are also some of the reasons.

Research 39

Chapter 3: Research Setting

RasGas Company Limited

For this research analysis of a company which has applied the process of Qatarization in

its operations has been taken. The company under study is RasGas Company Limited. The

organization is a joint stock company which was formed as a result of coming together of two

major oil companies i.e. Qatar Petroleum and Exxon Mobil. Qatar Petroleum owns 70 percent

stake in the company while the Exxon Mobil’s stake is 30 per cent. The company is considered

to be a top notch company in the field of integrated liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry all

around the world. The company has one of the best world class facilities for the purpose of

extraction, processing, storage and export of liquefied natural gas.

The organization has signed many agreements in order to provide its customers located all

around the world with LNG supply. The company’s customers are in Korea, Spain, India,

Taiwan, Belgium, Italy and the United States of America. The organization presently has five

LNG trains which have production capacity of nearly 20.7 million tones per annum (Mta). With

the completion of its seventh train in 2009, it is expected that its production capacity would reach

37 Mta. RasGas serves as the operating firm on the behalf of both the parties. The human

resource department of the company is responsible for management and supervision of the

design, construction and operation of various units (Human Resources Report: Personal

Achievement - National Success, 2009).

The terms of this agreement are given in the ‘Services Agreement for Operation and

Maintenance’ which was ratified in 2002. The company has currently a staff of more than 1400

workers which are operating in various projects. The company took the responsibility on the

behalf of Ras Laffan, Ras Laffan (II) and Qatargas in 2003 to manage and monitor the designing,

Research 40

construction and operation of a helium facility. The Central Helium Recovery unit (HeRu)

project is involved in extraction of helium from RasGas and Qatargas LNG trains. This project

has made the country of Qatar among the top 10 provider of helium around the globe. The

company also has a successful drilling program. Additionally, it is involved in management and

supervision of Qatargas (II)’s drilling program (Qatarization, 2009).

Company’s Qatarization Initiative

The company has shown its full commitment towards the Qatar government’s plan of

Qatarization. The company has in fact developed its personal Qatarization program which is

named as Taqteer. The government of Qatar in the year 2000 announced the plans to Qatarize 50

per cent of the nation’s companies in its oil, gas and petrochemical industries by May 2005. The

main purpose of this plan of the government was to enhance the number of nationals working in

those industries which are heavily dependent on the expatriate population. The company follows

a well developed system of recruitment, training, coaching and career development. The

country’s development plan highly depends on this ambitious plan of Qatarization. This plan

would help the Qatari men and women to take up higher positions in the top companies of the oil

and energy sector (Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success,2009).

The company RasGas has shown commitment for this government’s initiative. The

company’s Qatarization plan Taqteer is aimed at recruiting and retaining quality national

workforce. The company, through this plan aim at meeting the targets set according to Qatar

Petroleum Strategic Qatarization plan. The company has continued the development of this plan

which is aimed at meeting various needs of the company as well the country’s labor force. The

company’s Qatarization plan has evolved to a great deal since its conception. The focus of the

plan has been shifted to recruitment of Qatari nationals and making them into professionals who

Research 41

are highly skilled and competent enough to tackle any kind of challenge from simple

recruitment.

The organization took several initiatives in the year 2006 for implementing the “Quality

Qatarization” plan. One of the major steps in this direction was the creation of the National

Development Team. The aim of this team is to evaluate the performance of the company in order

to meet the Qatarization targets and formulate various initiatives which support the Quality

Qatarization process. Another measure taken in this respect is a long term plan which hopes to

attract the labor force in the country. This initiative was the formulation of the University

Advisory Committee (UAC).

Through this initiative of establishing the University Advisory Committee, the company along

with the providers of Higher Education as well as research institutions has come together.

Through this they have rendering career opportunities for Qatari students that are actively

participating in various recruitment fairs. They are also involved in developing the summer

internship programs. Another major step in this direction is the Graduate Development

Programme. This program of the company is directed at the development of junior national

employees. Through this initiative the company wants to prepare the trainees for the important

positions in the firm. The RasGas National Technical Club, which was formed in the year 2005,

is also aimed at developing the Qatari population (Qatarization, 2009).

The company has also created a Learning Attachment Programme, which works in

coordination with various major projects of the company. This program is aimed at providing the

employees with exposure to its international operations. Under this initiative in 2006, three

projects were undertaken in Houston and Tokyo. Nearly 30 youngsters of Qatar participated in

this project. Other such developments initiated under this program are listed below:

Research 42

Competency manuals/technical ladders for the labor force of Qatar in every discipline

ExxonMobil Exchange Program

RasGas Vocational Training Centre

Scholarship Program

Educational sponsorship

Development of English language skills in employees

Mentoring

Human resource initiatives taken by the company under this Plan

The company under its ‘Quality Qatarization plan has adopted various educational and

vocational initiatives. This includes collaboration with a number of local and international

institutions. The company considers its highly skilled, motivated and multicultural workforce to

be its greatest strength in order in such a competitive scenario. The company has its human

resources recruiters from nearly 30 countries of the world. The manpower at RasGas provides it

with a variety of expertise and abundance of ideas and experience. These three characteristics

form the basis of the best business practices in the industry (Human Resources Report: Personal

Achievement - National Success, 2009).

The various challenges of the strategic Qatarization plan of the government have been

embraced by the company. The company has very successfully managed to implement the

Qatarization process in its operations. The company achieved success with the highest level of

Qatarization among the various participating companies under this program. The various aspects

of its Qatarization plan are discussed further.

Quality Qatarization

Research 43

The company has shown a great deal of commitment and support for this quantization

plan of the government. The company has even taken a step ahead by envisioning the quality of

Qatarization plan. The company has focused on recruiting quality workforce with this

Qatarization plan. The company has focused on the recruitment of the Qatari nationals and also

has given the necessary training, development and mentoring so that they can enhance their skills

and can be developed to the level of world-class professionalism.

Success through quality

The company is aiming to achieve success through its continual focus on quality. The

company within the span of three successive periods has registered astounding success with the

Qatarization plan. The company is considered to be the leading initiators among the energy

sector companies. The company has not only recruited Qatari nationals to its workforce but has

been successful in maintaining high standards and quality to this process of Qatarization.

Focus on competency

The top priority of the management and staff at RasGas is to formulate and enforce

development program focused on competency. The company has various career development

plans running which focuses on employees’ development. Quality Qatarization is just like other

career development plans followed in the country. This career development program has various

features like education, experience and personal development (Human Resources Report:

Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).

The company has tied up with several key institutes in order to provide necessary training

and education to its employees. RasGas has entered into partnerships with five local and

international educational and vocational institutions. A brief description of the partnership is

discussed below:

Research 44

QP Vocational Training Centre

The company has tied up with Qatar Petroleum’s Vocational Training Centre (QP-VTC),

based in Ras Laffan Industrial City. The institution has designed two main plans to support the

training high-school graduates so that they can be developed into competent, skilled process

operators or maintenance technicians. The two programs are Technical Preparation Program and

Qatari Trainee Operator Progression System.

Technical Preparation Program

The Technical Preparation Program or the TPP is involved in graduation of maintenance

technicians. This program has been developed in collaboration with the College of the North

Atlantic (CNA) based in Canada. In the RasGas Vocational Training Centre, the students are

given theoretical knowledge. These trainees then move to Canadian facilities in CNA where they

are given specialized training. The specialized training is given in instrumentation, electrical or

mechanical streams (Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success,

2009).

Qatari Trainee Operator Progression System (Q-TOPS)

Qatari Petroleum Vocational Training Centre (QP-VTC) also provides the Qatari Trainee

Operator Progression System. The students enrolled in this program are trained to become

process operators. This program is co-venture between RasGas and Qatar Petroleum. In the

beginning, the training is carried out for technical level 2, then it progresses towards technical

level 1 and finally these trainees are given permanent position of full field operators.

The main focus of both these program is on completeness and competency. Both of these

programs are carried out by committed shift trainers. The time period for this training consist of

both classroom courses as well as practical exposure which basically consist of on-the-job

Research 45

training which is conducted in the plant and company’s environment (Human Resources Report:

Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).

Qatar University

The company has also tied up with Qatar University. This university was formed with the

aim of bringing high-quality education throughout the nation. The University has adopted such

curricula, technology and teaching methods that suit the country’s changing work environment.

The university is continuously reviewed by its administration which is dedicated for

improvement in the colleges and various programs offered by it. The University also has various

strategic cooperation plans with various domestic, regional and international educational bodies

for the purpose of exchanging knowledge and experiences. It is actively involved in the

developing skilled and highly qualified employees for RasGas as well as the entire energy sector

(Human Resources Report: Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).

College of the North Atlantic – Qatar

The company has also formed partnership with College of the North Atlantic – Qatar

(CNA-Q). The college which was started in the year 2002 offers a variety of development

program for the employees of the company. The college combines Canadian curriculum with the

industry expertise. This helps in giving the employees right skills suited for their jobs in the

energy sector.

The college also provides certain custom-made programs with its Corporate Training

Department. This program has helped RasGas to meet its staffing needs as per the Qatarization

process. In addition, the college also has variety of other business and technology programs

which has benefited the company to a great deal. These programs include business studies,

engineering technology and information technology courses.

Research 46

Texas A & M – Qatar

The company has also collaborated with Texas A & M University – Qatar (TAMUQ) for

developing its workforce to meet its Qatarization efforts. It has been producing world-class

engineers. With the well reputed faculty, the company is poised to help the nation in meeting the

demand for engineers in oil and gas sector of Qatar. This university was made part of Qatar’s

Education City in the year 2003. It offers bachelor’s degrees in chemical, mechanical, electrical

and petroleum engineering. The college does not want to develop any plans for its postgraduate

program as it wants to solely focus on graduating engineers (Human Resources Report: Personal

Achievement - National Success, 2009).

This commitment has helped the college to become a leading force in engineering

education. The college has been providing high-quality education to Qatari people. The TAMUQ

has been continuously providing energy companies of the nation with the required human

resource that can take up the future challenges. It has been committed to provide competent,

dynamic and qualified students graduated from its premises that can contribute to the nation’s

development.

Qatar Aeronautical College

The company has also tied up with Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC). This college has

helped to a great deal in the company’s Qatarization process. The college has been providing

special intensive English language courses to its trainees so that they can follow the current

business and technical developments happening all around the world. The aim of this special

course is to help the Qatari population to get over the language barriers which exist within the

company’s multilingual environment. The company partnership with Qatar Aeronautical College

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is highly valued as the company considers proper and internal communication as a prerequisite

for the corporate success.

The company’s collaboration with various local, regional and international technical

institutions would assist in preparing a national workforce which would help in the sustainable

economic development of local communities, Qatar as well as the entire gulf region.

In-House experience

The company has also developed certain internal development programs in additional to

its external academic and vocational training collaborations. These internal programs are helpful

to the company in developing its employee’s competencies. The various career development

program of the company has helped in optimization of the work experience. These programs are

aimed at employees’ future development. The company apart from developing its employees’

career also pays attention to their personal and social development (Human Resources Report:

Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).

Company’s Success

The company has registered astounding success as far as the Qatarization process is

concerned. The company achieved the target of more than 50 percent Qatarization well before its

set target of May 2005. This industry contributes to nearly 50 per cent of the Qatar’s national

budget. The company has the responsibility of managing the nation’s LNG production.

Therefore, the Qatarization process is a top priority for the company. The company not only has

to meet its production requirement but also the Qatarization objectives (Human Resources

Report: Personal Achievement - National Success, 2009).

The recruitment and training programs offered by the company have not only helped the

nation’s Qatarization plan but also enriched the company’s workforce. The company now has

Research 48

employees who are career-oriented and committed for long-term. These people believe that the

company represents their aspirations for sustainable development in the society. This has helped

the company to consolidate its commitment towards the Qatarization process.

In the report in RasGas magazine in 2005, the implementation of this strategic

collaboration of government and the private companies under the Qatarization process has been

discussed. The company has welcomed and embraced various challenges and strategies of the

Qatarization plan. In 2005 the company achieved highest level under Qatarization among other

participating countries process having a national workforce of over 50 percent working in their

company.

The company was the first company in the nation to achieve the target under Qatarization

process which was set by Qatar Petroleum (QP) Strategic Qatarization plan. The Strategic

Qatarization plan was conceived by H.H. the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and was

under the guidance of H.E. Abdulla Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who is the nation’s Second Deputy

Premier and also the Minister for Energy and Industry. On December 2004, the company

achieved Qatarization of 53.1 per cent against the set target and time of May 2005 and 51.4 per

cent respectively. In the company nearly 27.9 per cent of the permanent post in the company is

occupied by Qatari nationals (RasGas, 2005).

The company has adopted a brand new strategy to enforce this plan in their company.

The company has shifted its focus from simple recruitment toward promoting “Quality

Qatarization” in their organization. The company by focusing on this strategy has taken various

initiatives to ensure “Quality Qatarization”. Under this the company’s national employees are

rendered requisite training and development as well as mentoring to sharpen their skills and also

to ensure that there is world class professionalism standards followed in their working. The

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company has been a trendsetter of sort as far as this process is concerned as they have not only

achieved the required rate but also maintained quality in the adoption of the process (RasGas,

2005).

The company has laid a continuous importance to the competency level. The company is

highly committed in its implementation of competency based development programs for its staff

and management. The company has treated this process like any other successful career

development program. Just like that, the quality Qatarization process has various conventional

and unconventional facets associated with it like education, experience and personal

development. The company in this process has formed collaborations with five important local

and international educational as well as vocational institutions. This has been done to make sure

that the employees acquire the needed educational background as well as training to make their

careers a success.

The company has been achieving a lot of success in this field due to the

continuous emphasis on quality under the Qatarization plan of the government. The involvement

of various training and vocational institutes in order to built a skilled and competent workforce

has helped the company in its preparation for long term successes. As a result, the company has

attained the highest level in this Qatarization process.

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Chapter 5: Results, analysis and findings

Results, Analysis and Findings

This is the key part of research that is based on Qatarization. Results of the research are

analyzed on the basis of the responses given by the respondents. These are as follow:

People are not happy: After the questionnaire, it is identified that people of private sector are not

happy with the Qatarization program, as it is too early for the private sector professionals to

think about the hiring of Qatari nationals in their organization. According to the professionals, it

is not easy to realize such kind of program in a short time period. Around 55 percent of the

people surveyed believed that it was too early to develop this kind of program. Only 23 percent

did not go with this opinion, while the rest 23 percent failed to express any definite opinion for

this question, as presented in the graph below.

Yes No Can't say0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%55%

23% 22%

Do you think this is so early to develop Qatarization?

Management of private organizations and semi-government corporations said that there are lots

of higher positions in their company that are occupied with the foreigners in a significant manner

and to occupy such positions, it is necessary to have some quality skills and proficiency in the

communication skills, but Qatari nationals are not qualified enough for these type of positions.

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This is the reason why only 23 percent of the people surveyed gave this opinion that the

development of the Qatarization program is not too early, and is on time according to the needs.

Policies are not effective: Policies made by Qatar are not as effective as required for the

successful administration of Qatarization program. As presented in the graph below, around 67

percent of the people surveyed agreed that the present policies are not appropriate for the set

targets. Only 12 percent answered in favor of the question by stating that the policies are

appropriate and will help in achieving the set targets for Qatarization, while about 21 percent

said that they cannot say anything definite about the appropriateness of the policies.

Yes No Can't say0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

12%

67%

21%

Are the policies appropriate for set targets of Qatarization?

According to the people of private organizations, the policies developed for the Qatarization

program are not well structured in order to attain the stated goals and objectives in an effective

manner. According to the responses of the respondents, plans and policies of Qatar are not

implemented in a strict manner, as there are various loopholes exist in the ways of policy

implementation.

Resources are not adequate: According to the responses, resources required for the policy

implementation are also not adequate which is the main issue or weakness of this Qatarization

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program. According to 61 percent of the respondents, the government of Qatar has not

adequately the resources. The rest 39 percent believe that government is providing the required

resources for the Qatarization program, as depicted in the graph below.

Yes No0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

39%

61%

Do you think the resources used by government of Qatar are adequate?

Resource allocation is also not appropriate, as it requires proper resources for the implementation

of the policies and plans to realize the target of Qatarization program in a timely manner. Even

good plans can fail if they are not supported by providing the required resource base. So, this

survey result shows that there is lack of interest on part of the government as they are not

providing the adequate resources for the program.

Initiatives are not effective: According to the responses, initiatives taken by the government of

Qatar are also not effective and appropriate, as they are not focused on the main objective of the

qatarization program that is aimed to increase or place the workforce of Qatar in semi-

government and private sector. An overwhelming majority of 77 percent of the respondents

believed that the initiatives taken by the Qatar government are not enough for the attainment of

qatarization goals and objectives as shown in the graph below. Only 33 percent of the

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respondents believed that government is taking the required initiatives for proper implementation

of the qatarization program.

Yes No0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%

23%

77%

Are the initiatives taken by Qatar enough for the attainment of

Qatarization goals and objectives?

So, the majority believes that the initiatives are not properly managed or administered by Qatar

government and authorities, which is again a loophole on government’s part in showing full

responsibility to achieve the set targets for the program.

Lack of benefits: According to the responses of the people, Qatari nationals are not benefited

from the program of Qatarization in a fuller manner. Only 28 percent of the employees believed

that the Qatari nationals are benefited from this program; 11 percent failed to express any

definite answer when asked about the benefits reaped by Qatari nationals from the Qatarization

program. As the following graphs shows, a high proportion, i.e. around 61 percent respondents

expressed that there are no benefits to the Qatari nationals from the development of this program

which depicts that the program has not been able to be implemented in a successful way.

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Yes No Can't say0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

28%

61%

11%

Are Qatari nationals benefited from the program of Qatarization?

As there is lack of trained workers as per the skill set required at semi-government and private

sector organizations, the proportion of Qatari nationals in these organizations is also low in

numbers. According to the responses gathered from another question as depicted in the following

graph, around 71 percent of the respondents believed that the ratio of Qatari nationals in private

sector jobs is 25-45 %. About 21 percent believed this proportion to be between 45-65 % while

only 8 percent were of the view that this ratio is high and ranges between 65-85 %.

25-45% 45-65% 65-85%0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% 71%

21%

8%

What is ratio of Qatari nationals in private sector jobs?

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In another survey question, the respondents were asked if the Qatarization program proved of

any help for the Qatari nationals. In response to this question, around 39 percent of the

respondents believed that this program is helpful to Qatari nationals, 55 percent negated its

helpfulness, while the rest 6 percent said that they cannot say anything sure about this, as

presented in the following graph.

Yes No Can't say0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

39%

55%

6%

Is this plan of government helpful for Qatari nationals?

Qatari nationals are not receiving full benefits of this plan of Qatari government, as they are not

trained and qualified for the position entitled in the semi-government and private sector. As

shown in the graph below, only 35 percent of the people surveyed believed that Qatari nationals

are trained enough for private sector jobs, while the rest 65 percent were of the view that there is

lack of skills in the Qatari nationals as they are not well equipped with the required skills for

performing jobs efficiently and effectively in the semi-government and private sector

organizations.

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Yes No0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

35%

65%

Are Qatari nationals trained enough for private sector jobs?

As the program of Qatarization is developed to increase employment opportunities for the Qatari

nationals in private sector, but the citizens of Qatar are not poured with the spark and enthusiasm

required to carry out the job of such kind.

Probability of failure: According to the responses, it is not compulsory to attain the stated goals

and objectives of Qatarization program in a pre-planned time period. Rules and regulations set

by the government of Qatar for Qatarization program are not clearly followed by the institutes

and other related organizations in a sincere manner. In answer to the question where people

were asked to predict the ratio of its likely success in future, the highest response was noted for

the category 20-40 % wherein 69 percent of the respondents agreed, as portrayed in the graph

below. About 20 percent answered that the success ratio will range between 40-60 %, 8 percent

believed it to be between 60-80 %, while the rest few 3 percent expressed high belief in its

success by stating that the probability of its success is 80-100 %.

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20-40% 40-60% 60-80% 80-100%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%69%

20%

8%3%

What is the ratio of its likely success in future?

Analysis

Findings of the research are assessed on the basis of the literature review and

questionnaire conducted to collect information from the target population. These are as follow:

Literature review: On the basis of literature review performed for various articles and

researches, it is inferred that Qatarization is the main program of Qatar in its mission to make the

citizens more advanced and techno savvy by placing them at well known private organizations

with a high level position. According to the literature review, it is inferred that there are various

obstacles or barrier in the path of Qatarization. It is inferred that plans and strategies developed

by Qatar government are not executed by the responsible or accountable personnel in an

effective manner. Qatari nationals are not exposed enough to the changing trends occurring in

the global market, due to which they are not hired in the private and semi-government sector.

According to the literature review, Qatari nationals are not educated according to the standards

of the global level, which restricts to grab the opportunities offered by global platform. There are

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language barriers exist between the Qatari nationals and other nation’s citizens that also came in

the path of Qatarization in a vital manner.

On the basis of literature review, it can be inferred that Qatari nationals have lack of

critical thinking and leadership skills required to attain a position in the semi-government and

private sector. Qatari nationals are not educated about the cultural barriers existed between their

nation and other nations. According to the literature review, educational institutes do not provide

quality education to the students of Qatar in order to develop an in-depth knowledge about the

key aspects of the global business environment. As per the literature review, if the educational

institutes provide quality and standard based education to the students, it is possible to maximize

the chances for Qatari nationals to grab the jobs offered by private sector. On the basis of

literature review, it can be inferred that it is possible for Qatar to attain the targets of Qatarization

program by allocating and utilizing the resources in a keen manner.

Questionnaire: According to the responses given by the people of private organizations, it

can be inferred that it is not possible to attain the stated goals and objectives of Qatarization

program. Most of the people think that the program is too early started by the government of

Qatar. Professionals of private sector organizations think that the resources and strategies used

by the Qatar government are not developed according to set targets and standards. It can be

inferred that people are not trained effectively by the educational institutes. According to the

response of the people, Qatari nationals are not provided fuller benefits of the Qatarization

program, as most of them do not have proper knowledge about the targets of the Qatarization

program. Apart from this, it can be inferred that without proper implementation, there are less

chances for the Qatarization program to succeed in future. It can be seen that the results of the

survey of the employees of Ras Gas confirms the views expressed in the literature review. The

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views expressed in literature review regarding the success and hurdle of the program seems to

match in the survey. As seen in the literature review most of the respondents believed that people

are not getting the benefits that they should have received.

Findings

From the above analysis of the research that is conducted on Qatarization program, it is

inferred that Qatar has to change its existing pattern of education in order to provide quality

education to them that is required to occupy higher position in the semi-government and private

sector. In order to attain stated the goals and objectives of the Qatarization program, Qatar

should adopt some quality practices. Qatar should regulate the educational institutes and instruct

them to open some virtual classes that will assist the students of Qatar to gain an in-depth

knowledge about the key areas such as planning, organizing, leading, controlling and directing.

Qatar should decide a benchmark for different educational institutes in order to measure

the performance of these institutes that whether they are adopting the proven technologies to

educate the students or not. To handle with the barriers, Qatar should conduct a research on the

educational institutes that whether they are following the rules and regulations set by the

education department within their premises or simply running them just to make profit. Qatar

should also impose some forces upon those institutes that are not performing well according to

the set benchmark in order to ameliorate the quality of education offered by them to the students

of Qatar. As it is admitted that most of the students of Qatar can’t make it possible to yield

higher education due to the deficiency of resources, so in order to figure out these problems,

Qatar should launch some scholarship programs for these kinds of students.

To realize the stated targets of Qatarization program, it is essential to have knowledge

about the changes taking place in private sector in order to keep the pace of advancement steady.

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Qatar should motivate the citizens of Qatar by developing some programs that are aimed to

foster or encourage them to pursue for private sector instead of focusing much on simply

government sector. Qatar should also make amendments in the tools and resources used by the

management of educational institutes to run their business. Qatar should enrich the educational

institutes by providing them required resources that are necessary to gain an in-sight about the

major aspects of quality and standard based education.

Qatar should take some initiatives, in order to make it possible for the female population

of the country to occupy similar jobs in the private and Semi-Governmental sector. Qatar should

change the policy regarding the allocation of the resources, which further will also assist in

completing the functions in an effective manner. The nation should take initiatives in the

direction of implementation of the policies that are made for the ‘Qatarization Program’ by

analyzing the accepted timeline for the implementation and after it, Qatar should analyze if there

is any gap existing between the accepted date and the date of completion, which further will led a

hand in solving out the delay in the goal attainment procedure.

Qatar should implement some professional courses in the existing pattern of education,

which will help the students to gain knowledge about the main concepts of management tools

and techniques that are considered essential to place the citizens of Qatar in the Semi-

Governmental and Private sector. Qatar should appoint some professional teachers in the

educational institutes, so as in to enrich the students of Qatar with the zeal that required in facing

the competition at global level. Qatar should arouse the élan of the workforce to take

participation in the competitive tests and debates held at international level for securing job in

both the sectors.

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Qatar should make the citizens aware of the benefits for working in the private sector

such as increased goodwill, exposure through global platform, knowledge enhancement and

personal recognition. Moreover, it should instruct the educational institutions and colleges to

include some ‘Personality Development Programs’ to improve the personality and heighten the

confidence level of the Qatari nationals in a significant manner.

Chapter 6: Discussion

Designing an Improvement to the Situation

The Qatarization process started in June 2005. The purpose of this Qatarization process

was to provide employment opportunities for Qatari youth, as well as, place Qatari into those

sectors of the economy, which are heavily dependant on the foreign nationals. The aim of this

Qatarization plan was to place quality, competent Qatari in nearly 50 percent of the prominent

positions in the oil and energy position. Currently, more than 4,000 Qataris are working in the

nation’s Qatari Energy and Industry Sector. This number is equivalent to nearly 18 percent. The

target of the Government is to reach the figure of 6000, which is equal to 25 percent. The

literature review provides important information regarding the Qatarization process. Some of the

important facts are discussed in this section along with the comparison of the key findings of this

research process. The main highlights of the literature review and the results obtained through

this research are further discussed in the process.

Barriers & Challenges to the Policy

According to the literature review, the Government of Qatar is facing increasing

pressures from the labor markets in the country, which have resulted in creating various

Research 62

economic, social and political challenges. The finding of the research also suggests the same.

The employees in the survey think that it is too early for the government to start with such an

ambitious plan without looking into the ground work necessary. They think that there is need to

have a better planning and support system for such a plan.

As discussed in the literature review challenges for the Government are basically three

dimensional. The first part of this problem is that the segmented labor market in the country is

inefficient, as well as, registers low productivity. These people are costlier in comparison to the

foreign labor. Earlier, the companies employed these foreign nationals, as it resulted in saving

costs for the company. The import of these workers was much cheaper than investing in capital

and technology. The decreasing productivity of the workers is a growing concern (Energy &

Industry Sector 1st Annual Strategic Qatarization Plan Review Meeting Held, 2005).

The productivity has decreased by 25-35 percent in the last ten years. There increased

tendency is seen in both national and the foreign workers towards short term employment.

Second aspect of this labor problem is high population growth and growing unemployment,

which has increased the pressure on state’s budget. The third problem confronted by the

Government is of the risks that loom over decrease in the revenues of the country’s revenues

(Wilson, 2007).

According to the results of the survey most of the people from private sectors are not very

happy with the current program as they believe it is too early and very ambitious step taken by

the government.

Majority of people who were surveyed believed that there is high need of introduction of

quality skills and technical profieecency in order to achieve success for this kind of plan. The

literature review section highlights how implementation of Qatarization processes are

Research 63

accompanied by incentives like reduced labor transaction fees and waiving of various financial

requirements. The data on evaluation of the success of this quota system are not very consistent.

The employers of many organizations have this complain that the local population is not able to

meet the demands of the companies. In addition, the local population does not have necessary

motivational level and skills.

Most of the respondents surveyed believed that this process won’t achieve much success.

The reason for such low hopes on the long term success of the plan has been discussed in the

literature review. The main problem that comes with the enforcement of this program is that this

system pays more focus on ‘short- term quantity’ than ‘long -term quality’ of employment

(Qatarization benefits 7954 nationals, 2009).

The employers are now resorting to other means to get away with the system. They are

searching for loopholes in this nationalization of labor force policy. The companies often fulfill

the quota demand by recruiting locals for the cheapest price possible. Then they use the various

benefits provided by the Government in hiring more skilled foreign nationals. These companies

sometimes create “ghost companies”, which are registered in other sectors, which do not have

these quota systems like construction. These companies import foreign workers and use them

illegally in the sector where quotas are restrictive.

The results of the survey points out the lack of resources required for proper

implementation of the program. This fact has been also affirmed by the literature review. The

various exceptions of the Free Economic Zones have also contributed in putting hurdles for the

effective enforcement of this quota policy. The various hurdles can be summed down in

following. There are inadequate numbers of qualified and skilled Qatari in High school, as well

as, University graduates. There is disparity in availability of tertiary education output and the

Research 64

labor market requirements. There is problem of employee retention after training Qatari

nationals.

The career development program and motivation incentives show a lot of ambiguities.

Not only this, but also, there is an increased competition from the other sectors in Qatar, as well

as, the GCC countries. The other problem associated with this process is the huge wage

indifference in these countries. The foreign workers are paid low wages based on the competitive

compensation, as it amounts to the average wages paid in their home countries. But these wages

are not adequate according to the GCC standards (Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).

Improvement Approach

The response of the people indicate that the Qatari nationals are yet to receive benefit

from this program, therefore there is an urgent need to bring an improvement approach. A more

comprehensive approach, which can be taken to improve the current situation as given in

literature review, is discussed further. The education and training policies can be used for

strategically increasing the presence of local labor force in the private companies of the country.

The traditional Governmental education system and institutions are insufficient to do so. The

Government must take steps to improve the present education system. There should be reforms

followed in the edification system. There should be active collaboration between public and

private companies. The nation should learn from the success of Bahrain, which established

various ‘joint public’ and ‘private training institutes’, which render vocational training, as well

as, work placement services to the private companies. Bahrain experienced success with this

collaboration. But these methods are not mutually exclusive.

The reason for putting this quota system is that the Government wants to make the

companies responsible for identifying, training and maintaining local nationals. The Government

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should also take equal participation in such process and not entirely leave it on the employer.

The “Qatarization” project should be ideally combined with ‘Professional Training Program’.

The leading companies should be provided with incentives and Government support in

implementing this process. There should be focus on long- term development of employees;

instead of achievement of short -term objectives. The companies should attach various programs

like identifying and training, with the employment of Qatari nationals in association with

administration (E-Learning, 2009). According to the results only a small percentage of people

believed that the Qatari people are trained enough for private jobs.

In addition, the country should do away with the system of sponsorship, as their neighbor

Bahrain. This would increase the costs associated with the foreign labors, especially, the non-

skilled ones. The country can also introduce a tax system for the companies, who employ foreign

nationals, which would aim at increasing costs of foreign labors, should also be gradually

increased.

The countries are also reluctant to impose restriction that would stop the supply of cheap

foreign workforce. A major reason for this can be the fact that they rely heavily on the energy

reserves. The country feels that they would lose their competitive advantage, which they have

obtained by providing the private firms with a ‘tax free’ cheap labor. The country feels to

preserve its competitive advantage, while pursuing the nationalization of the labor force policy.

This has lead to attempts to align the labor policy within the competitive advantage that these

countries have through following norms of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The countries in this region should try to equate the benchmarks followed for foreign

employment followed across the region, which allows better enforcement of such nationalization

policies. This would put an end to the competitive race between these countries, which compete

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for foreign investments by cutting down their labor costs. Till now, the member countries of this

region have failed in their attempts to take any step in this direction, despite of various

discussions and declarations (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise, 2008).

These nations of the GCC have so far, failed in their attempts to go beyond issuing of

statement in this regard. There is an immediate need to reconcile such attempts, in order to

strengthen the nationalization policy followed by these countries. The policy of time limitation of

the stay of foreign nationals is a right step in this direction of nationalization of labor force. The

nation can follow the example of Bahrain and the UAE that have made a proposal for a “3+3

law”. According to this, the stay of the non- skilled foreign labor is limited to six years. But this

policy alone would not help to increase the employment opportunities for the skilled workers.

According to certain Analysts, this policy is just an extension of the old labor policy and would

help in rotation of the foreign workforce (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise,

2008). The people surveyed also believed that the government policies are inadequate to achieve

qatarization goals and objectives.

These countries are heavily dependant on the foreign labor and due to this, there is an

increased threat to the local unemployment. The country should not follow a policy, which is

adverse to its goal of enhancing the employment of their nationals. The countries are reluctant to

risk their competitiveness through increasing the costs of the foreign labor. The main challenge,

in order to reform their labor market is to bring effective governance and enforcement in the

policy of nationalization. The various problems like the prevalent socially accepted workforce

illegality, transparency problems, information dissemination, as well as, the scarcity of law has

made environment, where it is difficult to enforce laws and rules.

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There are various challenges for the government to confront like granting of amnesties to

illegal labor, requirement for cracking down on abusive employers, needs to mend the loopholes

in the system etc. The challenges for the Government cannot come over in short time. The

Government has to be sincerely committed towards this program. The results of the survey also

affirm this fact as most of the people believed that the present initiatives are not enough to meet

the set targets of the programs. There is an urgent need on the part of the administration to put a

sincere and continuous effort, in order to change public and private companies’ perception about

this issue (Qatarization drive takes private firms by surprise, 2008).

The focus of the nationalization process of labor force as indicated in the literature review

is discussed further in this passage. Through this nationalization process, the Government seeks

to enhance the national labor force participation in the major sectors, which were earlier heavily

reliant on the foreign nationals. The participation of national workforce includes females of the

country too. The company is currently facing a huge problem of unemployed growing youth

population. With this program, the Government seeks to increase the employment opportunities

for the country’s youth population. The country through this nationalization of workforce

employed in the oil and energy sector, wants to shift the employment trend to the private sector

from the public sector.

This country of Qatar wants to link this policy of Qatarization with the economic

diversification of the country. The country sensing the various dangerous consequences of the

heavy dependence on the foreign labor is seeking to provide the Qatari nationals with bigger role

and participation in those sectors through this policy. The Government wants to make the

nationals play an important part in management of these companies in the oil and energy sector.

Keys to Success in Public and Private Sector

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In this passage, the necessary features of this program of Qatari Government to

nationalize the workforce, which would ensure success in private and public companies are

discussed. The policies of this program of Qatar’s Government should be designed in the manner

that they should focus on particular aspects of the labor market. In order to remove the loopholes

which the respondents surveyed believed is the major draw back calls for improvement of the

whole process. The policy should be designed in the manner that they link all the aspects in a

complimentary way. The policies should bring some kind of incentive effects upon the main

beneficiaries of this program that is Qatari nationals. It is very important to ensure that the

companies participating in this program should get some kind of incentive too.

This is important, as the reaction of the private companies towards this policy is not very

encouraging. In order to involve them fully, the Government must provide some kind of benefit

to the participating companies. The policies of this program of nationalization of workforce

should be such that they should be consistence with the economic objectives of the program that

are clearly defined. The economic objectives of the program should be downsizing of the public

sector, economic diversification etc. Education system for the labor force should be an integral

part of this program of the Government. Proper education and training is very important, as far

as, the long- term aspects of this policy are concerned (Qatarization, 2009).

The policies of this program should be designed in a way, which should guarantee that

there is a proper distribution of skill and talent in the national workforce. The recognition of this

fact is very important for the success of this policy. The policies of this program should

recognize the need for proper skill distribution of occupations in the country. Human capital

development should be an important aspect of this policy. The success of this policy depends

upon the proper human resource development of the country’s people. There should be adequate

Research 69

steps taken for education and training of these nationals. These education and training program

should be designed in conjugation with the needs of the labor market in the country.

The economic vision of the country should be given due importance in the program. The

policies of this program should be such that the economic vision of the country is consistent with

it. The policies designed under this program should not have the following discussed features.

These characteristics of the policies can place obstacles in the path of the success of workforce

nationalization. The policies should not bring upon any sort of labor market distortions in the

country (Successful nationalization, 2007).

These policies like the ‘quota’ and ‘target system’ promote such distortion in the labor

market, which has a very negative impact upon the productivity. The policies should not try to

increase the cost of employment, as it can possibly hamper the competitive advantage, which has

been held by the Qatar nation. Policies should not be such that they aim at picking the winner.

The policies of this program should not be such that they restrict the entry of best talent across

the world in the company, as doing so, can result in loss of certain advantage to the country

(Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).

The role of necessary condition, which facilitates the successful implementation of the

nationalization of work force policy of the Government, cannot be ruled out. The necessary

conditions for the successful implementation of these policies are discussed further in the

passage. There should be presence of all the data, concerning every aspect of the labor market

present in the country. This is necessary because overlooking certain aspects of the labor markets

can hinder the successful implementation of the program.

The Qatar Government should take care to avoid those policies, which worsen the

distortion of the labor market in the country. The Government should clearly understand the fact

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that the proper distribution of talent is very important in any country. The policies should be such

that they focus on improvement of the human capital of the nation. This necessary so that the

national labor force becomes attractive for the employers in the private sector of the country and

they can utilize them in a better way. All these aspects call for the need of a plan, for

comprehensive development of the national labor force (Successful nationalization, 2007).

This can be done with active collaboration with the universities and vocational institutes.

These universities and vocational institutes would help in producing graduates that have

necessary education and skill set to work in the targeted sectors. In addition, there should be

formulation of a national level vocational education and training system for the population of the

country. The education and training system should be made complimentary to each other. These

programs should be strongly linked with the requirement of the labor workforce of the country

(Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).

The policy designed for the country should include the three main stakeholders and their

interest. The three main stakeholder of this process are the employer that includes both private

and public companies; the Government and the Education providers, which include Universities

and providers of vocational education and training. The policies should be designed in a manner

that makes the labor market more ‘efficient’. The policies and program should provide rewards

for the success achieved in this program.

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Chapter7: Recommendations & Conclusions

Recommendations

On the analysis of the research results and findings, it is derived that there are some areas,

which are not yet identified fully, so there is a need to do some extensive study, in order to

handle the key barriers and capitalize the opportunities offered by Qatarization Program. As

indicated by the discussion, Qatar should establish some new programs for the educational

institutes and colleges to motivate their students for the professional courses; and this would

increase their enthusiasms for the private sector. This will help in increasing the proportion of

trained workers and improving their skill set, as according to the current perception derived from

the surve, 65 percent people believe that the Qatari nationals are not well trained for the private

sector jobs. Qatar should reward those oil and gas companies that are performing well in the

direction of the program, in order to encourage for raising the standards of the performance from

being better to best (Qatar Foundation News).

It is recommended through the results of the survey and literature analysis that the

Government of Qatar to promote ‘Quality Qatarization’ by implementing quality practices within

the educational institutes and colleges, as 77 percent respondents believed that the government is

unable to take the required initiatives for achieving the set targets for the Qatarization program.

Qatar should also assist those organizations that are working for the attainment of stated goals

and objectives of Qatarization Program. It should investigate that whether, the Qatari nationals

are satisfied with the program of Qatarization and after it, the changes should be made in the

existing program to avoid any sort of lacking in future. Lack of English language competence in

interpersonal communication is the main barrier of Qatarization program, so it is recommended

to make English as an official language in the oil and gas sector. To overcome the English

Research 72

language barrier, it is also recommended to develop some extensive English language training

program for Qatari nationals. Qatar should also promote relationship between the industry and

universities & the colleges too (Strategic Qatarization Plan).

The discussion also points towards the lack of training responsible for failure of this

program. To combat this hurdle, Qatar should train Qatari nationals to perform the higher

responsibilities and duties of high level positions in the private and Semi-Governmental sector.

The nation should implement some changes in the learning patterns existing in higher

educational institutes, in order to flourish the skills of Qatari nationals to realize the stated goals

and objectives of Qatarization Program. It should also make changes in the existing patterns of

resource allocation of the educational institutes. Besides this, it should develop some innovative

practices and programs to foster knowledge among the Qatari nationals about the operations and

activities of oil and gas organizations of the private sector. This requires some resources to be

invested in the learning programs in order to improve upon the knowledge and skill base of the

Qatari nationals, which will in turn help in reducing the current belief according to which 61

percent people believe that government is not providing the required resources as presented in

the survey results.

Nationalization of the workforce is an important issue pertaining to this problem as

indicated in the discussion; therefore certain step should be taken in this direction. Qatar should

focus on the nationalization of the labor force by considering their importance for the

development and economic growth of the country at the global level, which further will assist the

country to attain the stated aims of Qatarization Program. According to the survey results, a high

proportion of 71 percent believe that the ratio of Qatari nationals is 25-45 percent in the private

sector organizations. This proportion will be improved by nationalization of the workforce. Qatar

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should analyze the policies developed for the nationalization of its labor force to realize the

vision of ‘Qatarization’ in an effective manner, as 67 percent of the survey respondents believed

that the current government policies are not appropriate for realization of the set objectives for

the Qatarization program. It ought to analyze all the social, cultural, technological and political

factors that are responsible for the delay of the attainment of Qatarization targets.

The Country should take some corrective measures, in order to enhance the majority of

skilled labor in the country, so as to place them in the oil and gas industry in a significant

manner. Apart from this, Qatar should develop programs, which are aimed at augmenting the

staffing and planning skills among the workforce, which too will provide aid in attaining a

suitable match between their qualifications with the job requirements of private sector in a

credible manner. Qatar should also make changes in the training patterns executed by the

training institutes to train the fresher about the personality development.

Qatar should hire some professionals for the educational institutes, in order to guide the

students to take participation in the private sector job vacancies. Apart from this, Qatar should

take the help of educational leaders and experts in developing new strategies to improve the

knowledge of Qatari nationals. It should regulate the educational institutes to start some evening

classes for group discussion and case study methodology, which further will aid in developing

critical problem solving skills that is required to confront the challenges posed by the

international level competitions. Qatar should provide scholarship to the needy students to make

it possible for them to continue their higher studies without any hurdle (World Bank, 2004).

Qatar should make changes in the wage system that is considered as the most essential

factor among the labor force of Qatar. Moreover, it should put pressure upon the oil and gas

companies to change their wage policy and make them more attractive, in order to lure the

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attention of workforce for ‘Semi-Governmental and Private Sector’ to maximize the proportion

of Qatari nationals in these sectors. The nation should also set some standards for the wage

policies to motivate the labor force and attract them for the private sector jobs, to be able to

attain the targets of nationalization program that is a main part of Qatarization Plan. According to

the survey results, 55 percent respondents believed that this programs is of no benefit for the

Qatari nationals, but acting upon the mentioned recommendations will help in improving this

perception and increasing the benefits sought by the Qatari nationals.

Conclusion

On the basis of above research that is conducted on ‘Qatarization Program’ aimed to

increase the proportion of Qatari nationals in the oil and gas sector, it is concluded that the

initiatives taken by Qatar are effective, but are not implemented properly by the accountable

personnel with full devotion and dedication. In order to minimize the impact of barriers and

attain the stated targets of Qatarization Program, it is essential for the nation to allocate required

capital in the educational institutes. It is also essential for Qatar to make differentiation between

those institutes that are performing well in the direction of attaining stated targets of the

mentioned program. And the country should strengthen the activities of those organizations,

which are working for the attainment of Qatarization goals (Marcel, 2006).

It is essential for Qatar to study the educational patterns of more developed nations to

make changes in their educational pattern according to the standards, to enhance quality

education. It is necessary for the nation to make a checklist for the educational institutes, which

are adopting “e-learning” within their education courses. To promote Qatari nationals in the

private and the Semi-Governmental sector, it is crucial for Qatar to motivate the people for the

private sector jobs, which further will assist in placing them at higher positions. It is also

Research 75

indispensable to make the recruitment process of the educational institutes austere, regarding the

teaching workforce, as without their proficiency in their specialized field, it is not possible for

students to gain quality education.

Qatar should reward the mentors and leaders, who have trained the Qatari nationals in

developing competent skills and quality education. Besides this, it should make changes in the

policy development regarding the educational practices, which will lend a hand to the students to

gain in-sight about the negotiation skills required to deal with the private sector in context of

salary matters that is considered as the major motivating factor by the Qatari nationals. The

nation should encourage Qatari nationals to take part in the international quizzes held on the

global issues, which will aid them to acquire knowledge about the pertinent facts and figures

related to the developed nations and their economy.

Realization of the Research objective

The dissertation focused on four research objectives on the basis of which the entire

analysis was done. The first research objective was to look at the various hurdles that are

creating problems for the successful implementation of this program. The literature review

which looks at the various previous researches and articles written regarding this subject, brings

out the various problems plaguing this issue. The main problem is inadequate resources, lack of

coverage, inadequate training and improper implementation. Besides, there are various loopholes

which do not allow the successful implementation of this program. The dissertation has been

successful in bringing out pointing out the various problems faced by this program.

The second research objective was to look at various factors which affect the success of

this Qatarization process in the Semi-Governmental and the Private Sector. The literature review

identifies various success factors by looking at its implementation in various Semi-Governmental

Research 76

as well as Private Sector companies. The success factors are looked by making a comparison

between those companies where it is been successfully implemented and where it is not. In

addition, the available literature on various nations where this process has reaped large benefits

is also looked upon. This helps in identification of the critical factors affecting this process which

are highlighted in the discussion as well as recommendation section.

The third researches objective was to study the implementation of the process, as well at

the changes and success rate of this program in the organization. This research objective has

been looked after by studying the implementation of this process in an organization. Here the

organization was Ras Gas, where this process has been successfully implemented. The fourth

research objective was to looks at various problems surrounding this process of Qatarization

which has been clearly brought out through the survey as well as the literature review.

This dissertation has pointed out the various barriers which are currently creating

problem in the way of its successful implementation. The dissertation brings out the purpose and

objectives of this process as well as its long term perspectives. It highlights the various benefits

that can be achieved if this process is successfully implemented. The dissertation by the

identification of the various critical factors affecting the process tries to identify a solution for

this problem. Overall the dissertation provides rich knowledge regarding the various problems

and purposed solutions.

Research 77

Contribution to the research

The research has proved to be very fruitful and an amazing learning experience for me.

Not only it has helped in augmenting my understanding over the research but also has helped me

to gain various new insights over the events in Gulf nations. But throughout it was not an easy

journey. Initially I faced a number of problems as I was novice in this field. But later with

guidance from my instructors and friends, I was able to complete the research in a proper

manner. I learnt various details regarding the data collection process and how to analyze them. I

made certain contributions to the data collection process by developing the questionnaire. I was

thoroughly involved in dispatching them and collecting the responses. Later on I had analyzed it

too. I gained knowledge how to segregate and review the data from literature available. I

researched numerous books, journals, websites and articles to get credible sources for the

completion of the literature review section. Overall my contribution to the research has been

significant.

Research 78

Appendix A

Figure 1: (Source: E learning, 2009)

Figure 2: (Source: E learning, 2009)

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Foreign Vs Native Population

Figure 3: (Source: Gulf States: Labor Policies, Financial Crisis and Security Concerns, 2009)

Figure 4: (Source: World Bank, 2004)

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Figure 5: (Source: World Bank, 2004)

Appendix B

RISK RATINGS Current Current Previous Previous Rating Score Rating ScoreOverall assessment B 37 B 37Labour market risk C 50 C 50

(c) Economist Intelligence Unit 2006

Figure 6: (Source: Qatar risk: Labour market risk, 2006).

Research 81

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