Cyber4s,the elite training program, Cyber4s, developed by Scale-Up Velocity by Start-Up Nation Central, together with the Profession for Life Administration of the IDF and the Israel National Cyber Directorate, received the first Chief of General Staff's Innovation Award as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week. The program is designed to train newly discharged soldiers who performed meaningful service in the IDF in non-technology positions and have the appropriate skills, for entry-level (junior) positions in the Israeli cyber industry.
Cyber4s was selected along with additional innovative programs and ideas designed to increase the effectiveness of the IDF in a variety of fields. The winners were selected by a committee of the Chief of General Staff, headed by Brigadier General Eran Niv, head of the Innovation and Combat Methods Division, high-ranking officers with knowledge and extensive experience in innovation, General Manager of Facebook Israel Adi Soffer Teeni, Prof. Dafna Schwartz, and National Technology Officer of Microsoft, Dr. Tomer Simon.
The program, developed jointly with leading cyber companies, is based on analysis of the cyber industry's needs and provides a unique springboard for soldiers who have performed meaningful service in the IDF and have been tapped as being a good fit. Cyber4s was developed with the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis and is an outstanding opportunity for discharged soldiers, some of whom had not planned on beginning academic studies in the current academic year and also had a hard time finding jobs due to the high unemployment rate. The first class, which opened in July, is made up of dozens of students selected from hundreds of applicants. The graduates will be trained as full-stack cyber developers at leading high-tech companies, in the cyber industry and the armed forces. It is based on the rich experience of Scale-Up Velocity in training developers for industry, along with the professional guidance of the IDF through its Profession for Life Administration, Israel National Cyber Directorate and with full partnership of first-rate high-tech companies.
For six months, program participants are trained with technology content, using R&D team training methodologies along with industry mentors. They develop practical projects with the partner companies, simulate interviews and participate in workshops to improve soft skills suitable for work in the digital era such as writing resumes, preparing for a job interview, presentation skills, problem solving, design thinking, negotiating, team work and more.
Maty Zwaig, CEO of Scale-Up Velocity by Start-Up Nation Central, said, “Cyber4s is an innovative, breakthrough program and one of its kind, and we are proud and excited that it was awarded the Chief of General Staff's Innovation Award. The partnership with the IDF and the Israel National Cyber Directorate created a national opportunity to tap into the tremendous potential of discharged soldiers, who did not serve in technology units and provide them with a platform to enter the high-tech industry. This program creates a seamless connection between quality human capital and a focused industry need, using a scalable program that will drive the engine behind the Israeli economy - the high-tech industry and Israeli innovation".