The National Digital Program of the Government of Israel

Adapt Digital Skills in the Education System, Academia and the Labor Force to the Employment Market

Due to the extensive use of ICT technologies in the business world, workers that do not have the necessary skills will have difficulty advancing and developing in the employment market. Moreover, workers with digital competencies enjoy broad occupational flexibility, can more easily withstand crises in the employment market and have higher productivity.    

The National Initiative places emphasis on developing digital literacy suitable for the employment market. It also recognizes the need for far-reaching improvement of abilities to use computer applications such as Office applications (word processing, presentations, electronic sheets, etc.) among all workers and, for developing their ability to work in an ICT-based environment: search for information on the Internet, communicate online (email, calendar) and use mobile applications. The Initiative will also focus on developing the ability workers to work with information systems and advanced computer applications. 

In light of the fact that the education system is responsible for training the future labor force for the Israeli economy, it is also necessary to advance the integration of suitable contents into the school curriculum. Class lessons will include acquaintance with computer applications, smart Internet use and dedicated programs to learn programming. Thus, pupils in Israel will be suitably trained to adapt to the modern employment market so they can enter the market optimally “ready” and prepared.

Adapting School Curriculums to Required Skills in the Employment Market
(led by the Education Ministry)

A comprehensive initiative is planned in the coming years to adapt the school curriculum to the digital age. ICT tools will be integrated across subjects and dedicated lesson plans will be developed to train pupils in digital skills needed for the employment market, for example, smart use of the Internet and use of basic and advanced computer applications.

Increased Use of Online Occupational Training Programs

In institutions of higher learning, future workers acquire the skills and basic competencies that will serve them throughout their career. However, owing to rapid technological developments characterizing the digital age, skills acquired at the beginning of the career quickly become outdated. Therefore, all workers should be encouraged to adopt the lifelong learning principle according to which workers must continue to learn, improve their professional competencies and enrich their professional knowledge throughout their career. Professional training programs must also be improved to ensure the professional level of the Israeli labor force is ranked alongside other developed countries.

By converting training programs and courses into digital and online courses it will be possible to improve their quality, reduce their cost for employers and participants and expand access to populations that do not currently participate in training courses, academic studies or professional courses. This will also produce highly valuable data about the state of the economy and the skills of Israeli workers, which can then be used to measure these parameters more efficiently and accurately.

The State already offers occupational training programs for defined population groups such as those seeking employment or SME owners, enabling their participants to learn a new profession or develop their professional skills. Private companies also conduct online training for their employees in order to refresh their professional knowledge and familiarize them with new work methods and technologies.

The National Digital Learning Project - Campus

An open digital platform was launched offering courses in a wide range of subjects. The project focuses on four types of learner groups in Israel, and is comprised of four components accordingly:

1. 1. The academic component intended for students and candidates for higher education, in cooperation with the Council for Higher Education of Israel (CHE) and the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) within the CHE.
2. 2. A component for promoting life and employment competencies among weakened populations in Israel, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy and Industry, the Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry, and the Employment Service.
3. 3. A component for advancing learning processes among high school pupils, in cooperation with the Education Ministry.
4. 4. A component for advancing occupational training processes of Civil Service employees.
   The following courses are under development in the initial stage: business English for the Jewish ultra-orthodox sector (in cooperation with the Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry); Hebrew for minority sectors (in cooperation with the Economic Development Authority and the Education Ministry); and“ Employment Preparation for Senior Citizens – Experience Needed” (in cooperation with the Ministry for Social Equality).