Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, Minister of Education, launched the vocational education guidance project in general education and unveiled the national document for guidance, an unprecedented step in the Arab world. The minister said the project will create for the first time in public schools the position of academic counsellor, whose key mandate is to advise students on the correct specialisations and careers in high demand in the local labour market. Al Qutami made the announcements as he presented certificates to 17 male and female academic counsellors who completed a foundation course on academic guidance. “Determining the academic path needs common vision and clarity from stakeholders, the students, parents, school, university, employer and labour market. Aware of its required role, the Ministry of Education has launched among other ambitious initiatives, the vocational education guidance programme, which features an academic counsellor, the first-of-its-kind job in the country, who will assist students understand modern time changes and read and analyse future requirements and get ready for them,” the minister said. He said the ministry pins high hopes on the vocational education guidance project to supply the local labour market with the required competencies and expertise. From / Gulf News