Initiatives & Projects Economic Development Education Community and Leadership    News “Young Adults Centers” Initiative Begins “A Promising Future” – the first year    Links madarom The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for desert Research JDC- Israel To All Links   Employment Horizons The initiative The Need Goals Expected Outcomes Main points of the initiative Project partners The initiative This initiative aims at finding employment for Bedouin academics, suitable to their talents, given the fact that few of them succeed in finding such employment on their own. The program will focus on providing young Bedouin in the Negev with guidance on how to build their professional careers: starting with choosing an academic area to study, integration into the working world during their studies, and for graduates “opening the doors” of prospective employers”. Back to top The Need  The percentage of academics among the Bedouin population in the Negev is very low (2.2%), and they have difficulty finding employment suitable to their talents.  Intervention and guidance is needed in order to guide the young people in choosing an academic area to study and assisting them later on in finding employment, and among employers who are characterized by their lack of interest in employing Bedouins in general and Bedouin academics in particular. Success in integrating Bedouin academics into suitable positions, will serve as a role model for the Bedouin population and the employers, and will serve as a lever for integrating this population into the communal and employment structure of the Negev. Back to top Goals  Increase the number of academics in fields that have employment potential.  Increase the number of academics suitably employed in positions fitting their talents and education.  Improve the abilities of the academics to integrate into the different aspects of the working world.  Increase the number of organizations employing academically educated Bedouins. Change Bedouin attitudes towards the integration of academics into the working world. Back to top Expected Outcomes Quantitative measures  70% of the students will be employed in positions suitable to their academic talents.  25% of the participants will be employed at the end of their studies in organizations where they were coached, interned, or trained.  Increase the number of organizations who employ Bedouin academics in positions suited to their talents. Qualitative Measures  Improve the employment capabilities of the students.  Change the attitude among the Bedouin population towards academic education.  Change the attitude of employers in all aspects related to the employment of Bedouins.  Build a stable framework to normalize the relationship between academia and employers. Back to top Main points of the initiative   3 spheres of activity (students, employers, the Bedouin community)   Students Will be integrated into one (or more) of the following tracks: Academic Guidance Track: guidance in choosing an area of study and employment guidance for students currently enrolled in their pre-academic year or first year students who are trying to decide on their future studies. Projects and training track: integration of students in their final year of a BA program or those enrolled in Master’s programs in projects or internships with potential employers. Coaching track: adoption of a student by a potential employer which includes coaching, training, and a scholarship. Employers This track will include individual and group work with employers. The program will focus on changing awareness and in parallel providing specific solutions to different needs. The program will include the following elements: identifying organizations and recruiting them as employers, development of assistance and support programs for the employers who are in the process of absorbing Bedouin employees, creating an employers forum that will serve as a network for recruiting additional employers and as a forum for discussing different issues.   The Bedouin Community Activities in the Bedouin community will focus on dealing with the cultural barriers which make employment in innovative and diverse fields difficult, as the community has not been exposed to these fields and does not encourage their children to study these fields. One special element will be encouraging women to have a career through higher education and suitable employment. Likewise, the program will expose young people to employment possibilities while increasing their motivation to pursue academic studies. Back to top Project partners  Joint Distribution Committee  Government of Israel  Shatil  Negev Academic Institutions: Ben Gurion University, Sapir College, Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, Technological College of Beersheva The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development  Daroma Back to top