For over 25 years, Ethiopian Israelis have been attempting to break out of the harsh socio-economic reality in which they live and integrate into Israeli society. According to the latest statistics (Brookdale Institute, 2007), more than 50% of Ethiopian Israeli families are still living below the poverty line, compared to 14.5% of veteran Israeli families. Tech-Career, founded in 2003 by a member of the Ethiopian Israeli community, provides an innovative solution and a unique opportunity for Ethiopian Israelis to climb the socio-economic ladder.

Tech-Career offers Ethiopian Israeli young adults professional technological training, personal development workshops and job placement services. Our combined training programs offer participants the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to succeed in Israeli high tech industries, to develop their careers and to make the transition from economic and social dependence to independence. To date, all Tech-Career graduates are employed in Israeli high tech industries as software developers or software quality assurance professionals. Our aim is to ensure that by 2012 at least 1,000 Ethiopian Israelis will be working in Israeli high tech industries. We believe that our graduates and others like them will be the future leaders and social activists of the Ethiopian Israeli community.

COBOL, an early computer language developed by IBM, is still widely used in business, finance and administration systems. The course, based on Tech-Career’s successful model was developed after IBM approached Tech-Career to begin training in COBOL in order to provide COBOL developers for its partners and customers. The new course is being taught in cooperation with IBM, Blue Education, a subsidiary of John Bryce Training and the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor.

The seven month residential COBOL course is the first of its kind being taught at Tech-Career, Computer Training Center for Ethiopian Israelis, which also runs Dot.Net Software Development and Software Quality Assurance courses.

Like all Tech-Career programs, Tech-Career’s COBOL Software Development Program includes professional technological training, personal development workshops and job placement services. Tech-Career’s combined programs offer participants the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge, experience and skills to succeed in the Israeli high tech industry, to develop their careers and to make the transition from economic and social dependence to independence.

The new students, young women and men ranging in age from 22-29, met with Tech-Career staff on Sunday for an orientation session on Tech-Career activities and got acquainted with their picturesque surroundings. Joining Tech-Career staff to welcome the students were Arie Berkovitch from IBM, Eli Meshulam and Lidia Kuntz from Blue Education, Irit Agmon of John Bryce Training, Shmuel Pur and Dvora Bodina from the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor.