Corporate training for companies in Qatar
Staff training in Qatar is partly a legal duty. Every employer explains a job’s risks when the worker starts, employers covered by the heat stress decision train all workers on it by May each year, and companies with 50 or more workers train Qataris equal to 5% of their staff. We plan the training and arrange courses with licensed providers.
Staff training at a glance
- Each worker is told the risks of the job and how to prevent them
- At the start
- Heat stress training for all workers, every year
- By May
- Of the workforce: Qatari trainees, for employers with 50 or more workers
- 5%
- Licenses private training centres
- MOEHE
From the Labour Law, Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021 and Law No. 18 of 2015; see the sources at the end of the page.
What training staff need under Qatar law
Not every company has every duty. Size and the kind of work decide which apply.
| Duty | Who it applies to | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tell each worker the risks of the job and the means of prevention when they start, and again when new risks appear; post safety instructions | Every employer | Labour Law, Art. 99 |
| Keep a first aid kit and give its use to a worker trained in first aid | From 5 workers; one kit for every 5 to 25 | Labour Law, Art. 104 |
| Train all workers on heat stress by May; train first aiders and safety supervisors to guide them | Employers under the heat stress decision | Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021, Art. 4 |
| Train Qataris nominated by the labour department in technical jobs, equal to 5% of the workforce, on a programme the ministry approves | 50 or more workers | Labour Law, Art. 12 |
| Train Qataris alongside foreign experts and technicians, or give them Qatari assistants | Employers of foreign experts or technicians | Labour Law, Art. 27 |
| Hire only workers holding a training and test certificate from a ministry-accredited centre | Professions on the Ministry of Labour’s list | Law No. 9 of 2026, new Art. 23 bis |
Heat stress training
From 1 June to 15 September the heat stress decision stops work in the sun, or in open places with no shade or ventilation, between 10:00 and 15:30. It also gives the employer a list of duties, and two of those are about training.
All workers are to be trained on dealing with heat stress by May of each year, before the summer rule starts. The employer also trains the first aiders and the occupational safety supervisors on site, so someone is there to give guidance and first aid.
The decision
- Name
- Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021 on protecting workers from heat stress
- In force since
- 27 May 2021
- Training deadline
- By May, every year
- Midday stop
- 1 June to 15 September, 10:00 to 15:30, for work in the sun
An example day
Take 20 July 2027. A crew laying paving in the open sun cannot be at work at noon that day.
Next to the training
A written heat stress risk plan made with the workers and kept on site for inspectors, free cool drinking water, shaded rest areas and free yearly medical checks.
Keep a record
A training record is the simplest way to show an inspector the May deadline was met.
Taking on a trainee
Vocational training has its own chapter in the Labour Law (Arts. 11 to 17). The training may happen in the company or at an institute, on curricula and certificates the minister sets.
The training contract
- In writing: the trade, the length of training, its stages and the trainee’s wage.
- In the last stage the wage is at least the minimum for similar work, and never paid by piece or output.
- A trainee under 18 has a guardian sign the contract.
Registration
- Three copies, one deposited with the labour department within a week.
- The contract counts as authenticated once ten days pass without objection from the department.
Ending it
- Either side may end it early. The employer needs one of the reasons the law gives (a trainee unfit for the trade, or a main obligation broken); the trainee needs a legitimate one.
- Seven days’ written notice is due in both cases. The two sides can also agree that the trainee stays on as an employee once training ends.
Who may run training courses in Qatar
Under Law No. 18 of 2015, training in languages, computers, secretarial work, accounting, administration and other fields named by the minister is an “educational service”, and offering one needs a licence from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education.
A training institute
An administrative training institute (activity 854951) meets this early: the Single Window will not release its commercial permit until the ministry licence is issued.
Without a licence
Running such courses can mean up to six months in prison, a fine of up to QAR 100,000, or both.
Your own staff
Article 2 leaves out training a company or public body gives its own staff, such as the induction a supervisor gives a new driver, or an afternoon going through the work regulations with a team.
An outside centre
Paying one is different: ask to see its licence, and check that the course you want is among the services listed on it.
How we plan corporate training in Qatar
Corporate training, as we plan it, starts from the legal duties and only then adds courses, booked with licensed providers.
- Find the duties that apply
We work them out from your headcount and the kind of work, and check the professions on your permits as well.
- Match roles to training
Induction and safety for everyone, heat stress where it applies, first aid, the Labour Law for supervisors, and a programme for Qatari trainees if you have 50 or more workers.
- Choose in-house or outside
Induction and safety briefings can be given by your own supervisors. A course bought from outside goes to a provider holding the education ministry’s licence, which we find and book for you; the provider teaches it.
- File the proof
Certificates and attendance sheets go into each worker’s file, which stays for at least a year after the worker leaves (Article 47). The file of someone leaving on 30 June 2027 is kept until 30 June 2028 at the earliest.
Related services
Common questions about staff training in Qatar
Is employee training in Qatar required by law?
Some employee training is required. Every employer explains each job’s risks and how to prevent them when a worker starts. Employers under the heat stress decision train all workers on heat stress by May each year, and employers with 50 or more workers train Qatari trainees equal to 5% of the workforce.
Who licenses training providers in Qatar?
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education. A centre teaching languages, computers, accounting or administration needs its licence under Law No. 18 of 2015, and the services it may offer are written on that licence. Ask to see it.
Source: Law No. 18 of 2015 regulating educational services (Al Meezan)
Can we train our own staff without a licence?
Yes. Law No. 18 of 2015 does not apply to training that government and non-government bodies give their own employees. In-house induction, safety briefings and sessions run by your own managers do not need the education ministry’s licence. Courses bought from an outside provider do.
Source: Law No. 18 of 2015 regulating educational services (Al Meezan)
What is the 5% training rule in Qatar?
A company with 60 workers would train three Qataris. That comes from Article 12 of the Labour Law, under which an employer with 50 or more workers trains Qataris in technical jobs equal to 5% of its whole workforce. The labour department nominates the trainees, and what they follow is a programme the ministry has approved.
What heat stress training must employers give?
Two kinds, both set out in Article 4 of Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021. Every worker is trained on dealing with heat stress by May each year. On top of that, the first aiders and occupational safety supervisors on site get their own training, so there is someone to guide the rest.
Source: Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021 on protecting workers from heat stress (Al Meezan)
Did not find your question? Ask an adviser. We reply with what applies to your case.
Sources
Official sources for the facts on this page, last checked 24 Oct 2026.
- Labour Law No. 14 of 2004 (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 9 of 2026 amending the Labour Law (Al Meezan)
- Ministerial Decision No. 17 of 2021 on protecting workers from heat stress (Al Meezan)
- Law No. 18 of 2015 regulating educational services (Al Meezan)
- Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Educational services centres
- Single Window, Activity 854951 (administrative training institutes)
How many people work for you, and what do they do?
From the headcount we can tell whether the 5% Qatari trainee rule reaches you, and from the work, whether the heat stress decision does. Induction, first aid and courses for supervisors make up the rest of the plan, and we arrange them with licensed providers.