DOHA • 'Qatarisation' should not necessarily mean a national holding a job but should also be interpreted as a national investing in or starting up a business.

Dr George M White, Associate Teaching Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University- Qatar (CMU-Q), told The Peninsula: "If 'Qatarisation' means keeping nationals fully employed in typical jobs, it is not successful. But working in a typical job may not be the right yardstick. If a national spends time investing in or starting businesses or supporting social programmes, these activities should count as contribution to society even though it may not count as holding a job."

White felt it was not productive to have quotas which call for a minimum number of Qatari nationals to be employed in companies. "Some businesses are simply not relevant to wealthy nationals and we should not be surprised if young Qataris don't want to do such jobs."

Nationals seem to be avoiding jobs in the private sector despite initiatives by companies here as well as by the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), as they cite long working hours and a lack of incentives and perks which are available in government occupations. White said: "The issue is not with government versus private sector jobs, but rather 'relevance' of jobs. Good jobs make employees feel they are contributing to society, making the world a better place and their efforts directly affect outcomes."

He said: "No one likes to work at a monotonous job with no evidence that their efforts matter beyond making money. Wealthy people have more options and if you want them to work, you need to make their jobs more relevant."

The private sector should highlight how it can benefit the quality of life or social responsibility. "These things are more important than offering higher salaries. When someone goes to work knowing they have been hired just to fill a quota, it's not inspiring and clock-watching simply reflects that fact," said White.

As far as entrepreneurship goes, White said given the country's wealth, on arriving here, he was worried people would not be too interested in the programme which requires dedication and hard work. "I was delighted to discover a high degree of social awareness and desire to help humanity among my students. I have also met a number of nationals motivated to transform Qatar into a world leader in socially-responsible technologies, promoting women's rights in business and helping youth in Africa."

Entrepreneurship can be taught as identifying business opportunities, forming teams, leading and managing the teams and finding sources of capital. "On the other hand, not everyone has sufficient drive, passion and resources to be an entrepreneur. In teaching entrepreneurship, we don't try to change a person's character or basic motivations, but for those who have the passion to 'make a difference' to the world, we can teach business tools to help them on their way."

The concerns of would-be entrepreneurs here should be identifying opportunities, building a supply and support network and ensuring benefits to society. Funding is also important but it is more easily available here than any place outside the Silicon Valley.