AJEEC-NISPED: BridgeTech

Launched in autumn 2016 and in partnership with Chevrat HaMatnasim, Park Carasso, Ben Gurion University, Sami Shamoon College of Engineering, the BridgeTech gap year defines itself as a “school-to-employment” pipeline for aspiring Bedouin hi-tech and industrial professionals. Participants, graduates of local high schools, spend four days a week in supplementary academic courses with a focus on STEM subjects, including calculus, computer programming, web design, and engineering, as well as English and professional Hebrew. They also prepare for the Psychometric (university entrance) exams; if needed, retake the Bagrut (high school matriculation) test; non-academic trainings, stress leadership, personal empowerment, and the socio-cultural soft skills needed to integrate into a majority Jewish-Israeli university or workplace. The final day of the week is spent volunteering at Bedouin elementary schools – in many cases the same ones that the participants attended – where they lead interactive extracurricular science activities, such as chemistry experiments. The program also includes visits to universities and companies to give participants a better idea of where they might want to study and work.