“The future of the job market greatly depends on the ability of different population groups to find themselves in high-paying and high-productivity roles,” said Israel Uzan, CEO of the Israeli Ministry of Labor. “The ministry is committed to leading high-quality training with an emphasis on integrating diverse populations into a changing and technological job market.”

That’s the backdrop to the announcement of a Human Capital for High-Tech Fund managed by the Israel Innovation Authority and government ministry partners.

The fund will offer grants of up to 70% of the cost of training entrepreneurs in research and medical institutions with at least 50% representation from the Arab community; and will invest in high-tech training and integration programs for Bedouin and Ethiopian citizens.

“Research and medical institutions with their diverse human capital, particularly from the Arab community, serve as a fertile ground for innovative and profound solutions to the world’s major challenges,” said Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority.

“Exposure to entrepreneurial opportunities can serve as a driving force for economic growth and social impact for the Arab community,” Bin said.

Additionally, the IIA is accepting grant applications for human capital development programs focused on promoting women in the high-tech industry.

Bin said that the IIA sees “the percentage of women employed in high-tech remains stable with no significant change in the past decade, particularly their representation in senior technological and managing positions. We believe that excellent programs focused on promoting women to leadership and management roles will contribute to strengthening women’s presence in all technology sectors.”

Meir Bing, Director General of the Ministry of Social Equality, added: “It is already evident that the integration of the Arab community into the Israeli job market is a significant interest not only for the Arab community but for the entire Israeli economy, with a decisive impact on productivity, production, and growth. Within this context, we must emphasize the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, and high-tech, which serve as growth engines for the economy and have significant underrepresentation of the Arab community.”

Uzan added, “The Ministry of Labor offers various options for integration into the high-tech industry, whether through engineering studies in supervised technological colleges or through specialized programs of this kind that increase collaboration and knowledge exchange between government ministries for the benefit of the public.”