(Communicated by the Economy Ministry Spokesperson)
Following the publication of the report by the Committee for Creating Policy Tools to Handle the Shortage of Skilled Manpower in the Hi-Tech Industry, submitted by Director of Employment Regulation & Senior Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Economy Michal Tzuk to the Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett in August 2014, the Ministry of Economy is issuing a tender to operate the program which will integrate approximately 1,000 Arab, Druze, and Circassian students and academics from the technological fields into hi-tech companies within 3 years.
Every year hundreds of Arab, Druze, and Circassian academics in Israel complete their studies in relevant fields for work in the hi-tech industry. However, despite repeated attempts, they are unable to find work in the profession they studied. In accordance with the recommendations of the Trajtenberg Committee (the committee for socioeconomic change), the Israeli government adopted government resolution no. 4193 on January 29, 2012, which instructed the Ministry of Economy to create a program to encourage demand for employees among the Arab population sectors and improve employment infrastructure.
The Ministry of Economy and the Authority for the Economic Development of the Arab, Druze, and Circassian Sectors in the Prime Minister’s Office approved the proposal to implement a government program to encourage the employment of job seekers from these communities in the hi-tech industry. According to the program outline, NIS 10 million will be allocated over 3 years to encourage and promote their integration into the advanced hi-tech and technological industries.
At the same time, the Ministry of Economy has published a tender this week for operating the program, which will select two operators for the program by the end of 2014.
Naftali Bennett, Minister of the Economy: “Talented individuals from the Arab sector have incredible potential which has not yet been realized, and they can be absorbed and integrated through the program. Israel’s economic strength depends, among other things, on it being an innovative power in the fields of technology, cyberspace, security, defense, agriculture, water, energy, medicine, safety, etc. The most significant challenge facing Israeli hi-tech today is the shortage of skilled manpower required for the technological professions, and this is what we are working to solve.”
Director of Employment Regulation & Senior Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Economy Michal Tzuk: “Every day we see the toll on the Israeli economy caused by the lack of professionals. The difficulties of companies in locating skilled employees in the fields of technology, science, engineering and computers have a direct effect on their ability to export goods and services in the technological industries and, as such, preserve the primary growth engine of the Israeli economy. On the other hand, there are skilled and highly qualified professionals - hundreds of male and female academics from the Arab, Druze, and Circassian sectors - available for work in the hi-tech and medium-hi-tech industries. This program comes to create the significant link between supply and demand.”