Eighteen young olim (new immigrants) from Ethiopia have completed a first-of-its-kind computer systems training course.
The course, co-sponsored by IBM's Blue Education and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, covered development and maintenance of IBM System-i servers and mainframe implementations. Some of the graduates have already found work.
The 800-hour course was given by "Tech Careers – Computer Training for Ethiopian Israelis," located in Kibbutz Nachshon, and students received full room and board. Top experts lectured in both theoretical and practical aspects of the computer systems.
The students visited IBM headquarters in Israel, where they heard from the project managers of the company's new mainframe, IBM System-z, as well as marketing details on the System-i. They also learned about IBM's Smarter Planet initiative.
Tech Careers was founded in 2003 with the goal of creating unique employment opportunities for Israelis of Ethiopian extraction. The courses are geared for those with high motivation and talent, and a willingness to work hard, but lack technological access and/or training. Candidates for the courses must take four hours of tests in math, English and logic, followed by a personal interview.