Only NIS 16 million will be allocated for performing professional training and placing workers

Only NIS 16 million will be allocated at this stage for the benefit of performing professional training and placing workers in required professions in the industry and construction industries with government funding. In the past, there have been statements from senior members of the economy that vocational training will need to be allocated hundreds of millions of shekels and even more, in order to return the hundreds of thousands of unemployed to work after the severe corona crisis.
 With the significant reopening of the economy after the third closure, tens of thousands of workers are expected to return to work, but the total number of unemployed is still expected to be close to 700,000 Israelis. According to the employment service, hundreds of thousands of them have been out of the labor force for many months, some even a whole year, and it is doubtful that a quarter of them will have a place to return to even if the economy reopens.
Senior officials from the Ministries of Finance, Economy, Welfare and the Employment Service recently stated that following the severe Corona crisis, hundreds of thousands of workers will need to be trained in the various professions, due to changing work patterns, closing tens of thousands of businesses and seizing the opportunity of more sophisticated new age professions.
Yesterday, the Director of Employment and Vocational Training at the Ministry of Finance, the Employment Service, the Manufacturers 'Association and the Contractors' Association issued a special call for a vocational training program in "Cooperation to Encourage Job Seekers, Against the Corona Crisis and the Need to Increase Professional Training."
At the end of a joint process by the Director of Employment, the Employment Service, the Manufacturers 'Association and the Builders' Association of Contractors, a list of professions was compiled in which immediate training and placement of workers is required, in order to strengthen Israeli industry.
Among the jobs, emphasis is placed, for the first time, on jobs designed to promote a leap forward in the world of industry for advanced production and automation, along with jobs in electricity, electronics, plastics, maintenance, machinery, metal, printing, food and more. And placement of employees. In addition, a call is issued for the construction and infrastructure industries that will contribute to Israeli training and work in these areas and reduce the duration of the construction process.
The call also includes a special reference to small businesses that have been affected by the Corona crisis and have not yet received assistance in the field of training and vocational placement, so that even small businesses will be able to hire new employees while receiving a support envelope for employee absorption and training.
As part of the call, employers will benefit from assistance in a number of areas: direct placement - assistance in recruiting and selecting candidates for the job; Vouchers for employers for training and advanced training with government funding, in the framework of which a new employee can be recruited and trained in accordance with the needs of the organization; Respective training - a tool that combines tailored training and placement, in which candidates for various positions, who do not have specific experience, will be able to receive theoretical and practical training according to the employer's needs, thus bridging the gaps between the employee's skills and abilities.
The Employment and Vocational Training Administration is an executive arm of the Ministry of Finance, established in January 2021 with the aim of assisting in dealing with the economic consequences of the corona crisis on the employment market.
It should be noted that one of the serious problems created by the economy is that those laid off and on unpaid leave will continue to receive unemployment benefits until the end of June, and the date may even be extended, so hundreds of thousands of workers are not in a hurry to return to the labor market.
The Minister of Finance, Israel Katz, stated that "vocational training is a key element in our plan to return the veteran nucleus of the unemployed to the labor force, and to provide employees with the opportunity to receive training in sought-after, high-paying occupations, all in accordance with industry and various businesses."
The head of the vocational training directorate at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Iris Nehemiah: "The move will lead to a digital leap forward for people and businesses through subsidizing training for high-demand professions.
The president of the Manufacturers' Association, Dr. Ron Tomer: "Throughout the crisis, the industry has proven that it produces stable jobs with higher-than-average wages in the economy and is able to increase labor productivity in the economy. "Many people who found themselves unemployed as a result of the Corona crisis have a new and promising career in Israeli industry. This is a win-win situation - Israeli industry also has a quality workforce, which is more vital than ever, .