ExcelHT – Advanced Employment for Arab Israeli academics

The Challenge

In 2019 Arab-Israelis make up 21% of Israel’s population yet constitute a mere 1.4% of Israel’s lucrative and booming high-tech industry. Moreover, most Arab high-tech employees are employed in lower-level positions and earn a significantly lower wage than their Jewish counterparts.

The situation of Arab high-tech employees is characteristic of other excluded minority groups in the labor market: lack of relevant social networking and vocational skills, fear of stigma and exclusion, lack of self-promotion skills, cultural differences causing failed job interviews and more. This situation  puts this group at a great disadvantage. These conditions are in even greater polorization when it comes to Arabs from East Jerusalem.

The Answer

The itworks’ ExcelHT program aims to successfully integrate Arab Israelis into quality and well-paying positions in Israel’s high-tech industry.

We work closely with employers who are committed to diversifying their workforce and partner with us to make it happen. We research the market place and provide our graduates with the most knowledge and skills on demand in order to get the maximum placement rates.

The Action Plan

The program includes vocational tech training and software programming, soft skills and leadership workshops, English lessons to improve the participants’ technical and business English skills, on-site seminars including visits to leading high-tech companies, as well as personal mentoring and job placement services.  Program graduates benefit from itworks’ support and guidance for up to a year post course.

We would like to thank Bank Hapoalim for their partnership and support of this program.