NA’AMAT Technological Education Network serves some 3,500 students in 20 high-schools, two youth villages and two colleges across Israel. Most of our students are at-risk youth, for whom our institutions provide a last chance at completing their high-school education and receiving vocational training to promote their life chances. All of our students are from low-income background, and most of them come from marginalized, under-represented social groups in Israel, including first-or-second generation Ethiopian or Russian migrants and Arab students. Some of our schools are girls-only institutions.

We offer vocational training in different areas: media and photography, communications, design arts, computers, solidworks, mechanical engineering, business administration, tourism and leisure, Pre-K Education, dental technicians, hair styling and more. Furthermore, we intentionally keep our classes very small—no more than 20 students per class (about half of the national quota)—in order to give each student the personal attention they deserve. In our schools students find a home and receive the social empowerment to become engaged and contributing members of Israeli society.

Success so far:

We have much to be proud of, first and foremost in our students’ contribution to society.

All of our students engage in various forms of community work: entertaining the elderly, playing with children who await medical treatment, volunteering with people who have special needs, taking care of their local environment, working with emergency services (fire fighters, etc.), and many more examples. In addition there is an extremely high percentage of mobilization to the military in our schools.

Our students are also active in competitive sports leagues, participate in national arts projects, and in all of these areas they have received recognition, prizes and awards. We also demonstrate positive educational outcomes—our retention and graduation rates are on the rise, and in one of our schools the number of students eligible for a full matriculation certificate has doubled! Even if our students do not complete a full certificate, they often take a few exams, which will make it easier for them to complete their high school education in future, should they wish to. Many of them graduate from our schools with a vocational/technical certificate that will help them secure jobs.

There is so much potential. Every student who takes genuine interest in at least one area is a success story. Every student who completes her-or his-education is a victory, and every school is a center of hope for many families.

What Our Kids Have to Say