Doha: The Ministry of Labour, in collaboration with Google Cloud and Mannai InfoTech, has announced the launch of its new initiative, the 'Ouqoul' platform, an innovative platform powered by artificial intelligence. This platform aims to provide exceptional services for graduates from universities in Qatar and companies in the private sector. The advanced platform relies on the power of Google Cloud and AI technologies to streamline the recruitment process, making it easier for students to find jobs that match their skills and career aspirations. Commenting on the announcement of this new initiative, Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour Affairs at the Ministry of Labour Sheikha Najwa bint Abdulrahman Al-Thani said, "Qatar offers the opportunity to graduate from world-class universities, and the 'Ouqoul' platform aims to harness the talents of those university graduates, ensuring the retention of highly skilled individuals in the local labor market and recognizing the hard work and dedication of gradu ates from universities in Qatar. By linking these skilled individuals with local opportunities, we seek to achieve a better match between the supply of qualified graduates and the demand in our labour market. This initiative not only supports local universities but also strengthens a more robust and resilient local economy." "The launch of the 'Ouqoul' platform is part of the ministry's wider strategy to enhance workforce productivity and leverage competencies, complementing efforts to promote and employ the national workforce in the private sector, in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030," she added. For his part, Google Cloud Regional Director at Qatar Ghassan Costa said that "this groundbreaking platform showcases the transformative power of AI in facilitating the recruitment process and enabling graduates and businesses to connect and thrive," adding that "Google's advanced cloud technologies are designed to enable innovation and growth, and we are committed to driving positive change in the digital landscape in Qatar." Senior Vice President at Mannai InfoTech Benno MR said, "this project represents a major step towards supporting the career ambitions of Qatar's ambitious workforce and underscores Mannai InfoTech's commitment to driving innovation and fostering partnerships that benefit the local community." The main objectives of the 'Ouqoul' platform are to create a user-friendly platform, increase employment opportunities for expatriate graduates from universities in Qatar, and improve the efficiency of their overall recruitment processes. The platform will include features such as identity verification systems, job posting capabilities, search functions, and an advanced dashboard for administrators. Additionally, enhanced AI features will be integrated to automatically process candidates' resumes, match them with available jobs, and provide chatbots for inquiries and support. The 'Ouqou'" platform will feature three distinct interfaces designed to meet the needs of different user groups: expatriate university graduates in Qatar, private companies, and universities. The platform enables expatriate students graduating from local universities to create personal profiles using their university IDs, generate skill-based resumes using the platform's AI tools, search for job opportunities in Qatar's private sector that match their skills, and apply directly through the platform. AI tools will also support candidates in achieving their career goals by suggesting courses needed to develop the required skills. The personality test on the platform will help identify the most suitable career paths for them. The entire journey takes place on the platform, allowing candidates to use unique tools to connect with companies, learn new skills in the platform's learning center, conduct online interviews, negotiate, and sign contracts through the integrated Ministry of Labour's unified portal, and graduates can also evaluate companies. The platform will allow private sector companies to publish job opportunities, search for suitable candidates, and manage rapid recruitment processes all in one place, supporting companies in reaching the best candidates. Ouqoul is also a valuable source of information for universities in Qatar, as it will be connected to the Labour Market Information System. Universities will have a list of skills in demand in Qatar, to support their strategies to boost the employment rate of their graduates and can improve their curricula to suit market demands. Moreover, university supervisors will play a vital role in monitoring the platform's activity and ensuring its safety and public functionality. They will also receive fast e-services from the Ministry of Labor. The Ministry of Labour has recently launched a number of electronic services and platforms such as the Istamer platform and Basher services to facilitate the procedures for employing Qataris and children of Qatari women in private sector companies. This is in line with the ministry's priority of nationalization in the private sector and prov iding smart electronic services. Source: Qatar News Agency