Israel To Provide $6.13M To Boost Training, Employment for Arabs in High-Tech

Israel’s Economy and Industry Ministry announced on Wednesday the allocation of 20 million shekels ($6.13 million) to support training programs in the high-tech sector for Arab citizens. The funds will be made available to Arab-Israeli companies in the form of grants covering up to 70% of their costs for developing innovative programs to add skilled Arab labor to the Israeli high-tech sector, the ministry said in a statement. The grants will be awarded by the ministry’s Directorate General of Labor and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA). Arabs comprise around 21% of Israel’s population but only about 2% to 3% of workers in the country’s lucrative high-tech industries, according to the IIA. “The Arab society in Israel has great potential, and its integration into the Israeli economy in general, and high-tech in particular, is the key to reducing social gaps and achieving sustainable economic growth,” said IIA CEO Dror Bin.