Tel-Hai Tech

Project Aim
Hi-Tech, Biotechnology, and Food Science are all burgeoning career fields in modern Israel, but employers are concentrated mostly in the Center, South, and Haifa, far away from the Galilee. According to a recent poll conducted by Tel-Hai College, 70% of our graduates would prefer to remain in the North, but the realities of industry employment often dictate that they look elsewhere. Seeking a solution to this challenge, Tel-Hai Tech was established, with the aim to grow collaboration with relevant industries and companies and to encourage the opening of branch offices and facilities in the North. Initiatives as Tel-Hai Tech invigorates the future of the North at large, as every success story serves as an incentive for yet more companies to invest in the area.

In collaboration with our philanthropic partners, Tel-Hai Tech offers students hand-on experience in their field of education and a prospect for future permanent employment in the North. The industry on the other hand gains highly-skilled workers already qualified for the position. Students chosen to receive a Tel-Hai Tech tuition scholarship receive 30 NIS for each internship hour, for up to 1,000 total hours. Under the direction the Dean of Students Office, strict guidelines determine employability on an individual basis to ensure accurate investment in training future professional employees who will make their permanent home in the Upper Galilee.

Achievements and Challenges
There are currently 10 businesses from the Upper Galilee taking part in the program. Since its launch, over 350 Tel-Hai graduates have benefitted from Tel-Hai Tech Project Aim, and 70% of them are currently employed in the Upper Galilee in direct continuation of their internships in the program.
Directly as a result of the program, national and international companies such as BMC (with 250 employees, 40% of them Tel-Hai graduates), Mellanox (with 60 employees, 80% of them Tel-Hai graduates), and GalilCS (with 50 employees, 70% of them Tel-Hai graduates) have been drawn to the North and opened regional branches. Although the Ministry of Economy does not provide direct funding for the program, it does offer graduates of the Tel-Hai Tech
program who continue working for the companies where they did their internships the opportunity to receive an additional grant of 10,000 NIS. Companies in the Upper Galilee who hire these graduates are also eligible for incentive grants.