By: Laurina Driesse

Getting a foot in the door at one of Israel’s flourishing hi-tech companies requires skills that many Israeli Arabs sorely lack. In many instances, they must first overcome economic hardships and the language and cultural barriers.

Arabs make up some 21% of Israel’s population, yet a study in 2018 found that only 3% of the country’s hi-tech workforce were Arab, and Arab women constituted only 0.1%, despite the ongoing shortage of employees in this job sector.

Therefore, the ICEJ is excited to be a sponsor of the WebAhead coding bootcamp, which gives learning opportunities to top-achiever Arab students with strong technical abilities and a desire to enter this competitive field. At least 50% of the program participants can expect to find work in a hi-tech company within a year of graduation, as each student receives help with job placement among companies with an interest in hiring more Israeli Arabs.

Success stories are already streaming in after a course graduation held in May this year. Four graduates of the WebAhead Masterclass got hi-tech jobs within four months. Two are now front-end developers, while the other two are software and automation developers. In addition to necessary technical skills, the students also receive soft skills to help them transition into this unique job market.   

“By supporting learning opportunities like this coding bootcamp program, you level the playing field for these young Arab students and help them find a place in Israel’s booming hi-tech industry”, noted Nicole Yoder, ICEJ Vice President for AID and Aliyah. “This strengthens and empowers the whole nation to move forward together.”

Two recent graduates, Maysan Iraqui and Asma Lafe, shared what the course meant for them.

Maysan grew up in Tira, an Arab city in central Israel with low employment chances for youth and high crime rates. Living in a home together with her extended family, she recalls often being referred to as a “smart girl” and was seen as the hope of her family. Maysan knew if she studied hard, it would help the family overcome poverty. But with no finances to support her studies, this all placed a tremendous burden upon her.  

So, she began studying while working nights. But after two years of working full-time and studying, she had to put her education on hold. Then a lifeline came her way when she discovered the WebAhead program.

“The program is not only inexpensive compared to other programs in the field, but also organised in a way that allowed me to continue my job simultaneously”, Maysan explained. “Within a few months, I’m ready to actually enter the hi-tech world and to make a better living for myself and my family.”

Maysan thoroughly enjoyed the teamwork collaboration she experienced while working on diverse tasks and gleaned much knowledge from the volunteer mentors and speakers who help make the program a success.

“There are amazing people that are happy to share their time and knowledge, to help others to succeed. I wish for myself, that I’m going to be this person in the future, helping other young people to learn and to succeed,” remarked Maysan.

Asma is 23 years old and grew up in an Israeli Arab town near Akko. She discovered her love for programming and coding in 11^th grade, and instantly knew that this was what she wanted to pursue. However, even at 18 years old she did not speak Hebrew and rarely interacted with Israeli Jews. Yet, this changed when she began working at a restaurant in Akko and started interacting every day with Jewish customers. Five years later, she is more confident in her identity and engaging with another culture.

Asma began studying software engineering at Ort Braude and then two friends told her about the full-stack WebAhead course. Initially she was hesitant about applying, but her friends were persuasive, and they all signed up together.

“They accepted the three of us, but they told me that my performance was not as good as my two friends and that I would have to work hard to catch up and improve my skills”, she shared.

But the course soon became life changing for Asma.

“They told us: ‘first thing, ask yourself. If you don’t manage to find the answers, ask your friends, and only after that, come to us.’ In the beginning I was sceptical about this approach, it was very new to me, but then I realised that this way of learning ‘learn how to learn yourself’, is what it takes to absorb the knowledge entirely and to succeed. This lesson is applicable for so many situations in life and it changed the way I look at myself and my abilities”, Asma said.

Asma fully improved her performance and skills by working hard and taking on more projects than the students were asked to do, thereby becoming the hero of the course! She is driven and helps others solve challenges. Before the course, she had not heard of the word ‘DevOps’, but this turned out to be her favourite subject which will be useful in finding employment.

She also is grateful for the soft skills she learned during the course and now knows how to write her CV and prepare for specific interviews. Deciding to place her degree studies on hold, she is seeking employment as a full-stack developer.

“When I was studying, I could not imagine myself applying for jobs. I felt like I’m not good enough. Now, thanks to the Bootcamp and what I’ve learned about myself, I know that I’m good. I’m confident I will find a good job and I’ll continue to grow”, assured Asma.

The ICEJ is giving a Future and a Hope to all sectors of Israeli society. Through your generous giving, we can strengthen families, improve lives, lift minorities, and impact the nation of Israel.