Summary Report for 2009

For over 25 years, Ethiopian Israelis have been attempting to break out of the harsh socio-economic
reality in which they live and integrate into Israeli society. Tech-Career provides an innovative solution
and a unique opportunity for Ethiopian Israelis to climb the socio-economic ladder. Tech-Career offers
Ethiopian Israeli young adults the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge, experience and
skills to succeed in Israeli high tech industries, to develop their careers and to make the transition from
economic and social dependence to independence.

The high tech industry is one of the most sought after, rapidly developing and financially rewarding
industries in the Israeli job market, with a constant demand for professional employees. Approximately
100 Ethiopian Israelis currently work in the high tech industry in Israel; most are graduates of Tech-
Career. When Tech-Career was established in 2003, there were just four Ethiopian Israelis working
professionally in the high tech industry. The majority of young Ethiopian Israelis have neither the
matriculation nor psychometric exam grades required for acceptance into university technology
faculties and the expensive tuition at Israel's colleges rule these out as a reasonable option. Tech-
Career provides an innovative solution and a unique opportunity for Ethiopian Israelis to attain high
level employment and climb the socio-economic ladder quickly.

During 2009, Tech-Career continued all ongoing programs, cooperation with other organizations and
began to explore options regarding the organization's future development. This period has been a
challenging one, and the global economic crisis has affected Tech-Career activities, especially job
placement.

Achievements
1. Tech-Career now has an active alumni association whose members contribute significant financial
support to Tech-Career in order to help current students. In 2009, graduates' contributions amounted
to $20,000. Tech-Career's alumni are also involved in our ongoing activities: giving guest lectures,
volunteering to tutor students, and in our placement efforts, offering graduates direction and
guidance.
2. When Tech-Career was established, there were just
four Ethiopian Israelis working professionally in the
high tech industry; now, there are approximately
100; most are Tech-Career graduates. We currently
train approximately 100 students annually.
3. Tech-Career has strong partnerships with companies
in Israel's high-tech industry and with governmental
and non-governmental organizations. Because of our
successful cooperation with the Ministry of
Industry, Trade & Labor through the John Bryce
Training Center, the Ministry requested that Tech-
Career submit a tender proposal in order to convert
our relationship into a direct one. If Tech-Career is
successful (we submitted the tender proposal in
December, 2009), the Ministry will become one of our donors.
4. Tech-Career has been asked to establish additional program sites in other Israeli cities to bring Tech-
Career training to a wider population, due to the growing reputation of excellence and results.

Tech-Career's major activities during this period included the following:

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A. Technology Training Program: Tech-Career's intensive Technology Training Program includes
professional technological training, personal development workshops and job placement services.
Our combined program offers participants the opportunity to acquire the necessary knowledge,
experience and skills to succeed in the Israeli high tech industry, to develop their careers and to
make the transition from economic and social dependence to independence.

1. Software Development – Dot.Net (11 months) – Course curriculum emphasizes the latest
Microsoft programming technologies and includes: Office, Networking, C#.Net, SQL, UML, Object
Oriented programming, Winforms Applications, ADO, HTML, Java Script, ASP.Net and a final
project.
2. Software Development – COBOL (7 months) - Tech-Career's 1st COBOL course began in
August 2009. Course curriculum includes: COBOL, System i, SQL, Embedded SQL, RPG, zOS,
JCL, CICS, DB2. COBOL, an early computer language developed by IBM, is still widely used in
business, finance and administration systems. There is an increasing demand for young
employees in this field; IBM approached Tech-Career to begin training in COBOL since the
corporation would like to provide COBOL developers for their partners and customers.
3. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) (6 months) - Curriculum includes: Introduction to software
testing, SQL database, Quality Center, test planning and implementation.

During 2009, Tech-Career held 1 class in each Software

Development course and 1 SQA course. Our 5th Software
Development Dot.Net course (26 students, 23
graduates) began in September, 2008 and ended in
September, 2009. Tech-Career's first COBOL course (19
students) began in August, 2009 and will continue until
March, 2010. Our 3rd SQA course took place between
November 2008-June 2009 (17 graduates). Both the
Software Development courses have been carried out in
cooperation with the John Bryce Training
Center/Blue Education and the Ministry of Industry,
Trade & Labor. The COBOL course is also being carried
out in cooperation with IBM. The SQA course was
carried out in cooperation with the John Bryce
Training Center and the Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor. Two Tech-Career graduates are now
employed as instructors by John Bryce and have returned to Tech-Career to teach course modules.

Enrichment and Job Placement Activities

Tech-Career is committed to the successful employment of each of its graduates in the competitive
high tech industry. Therefore, Tech-Career's personal development workshops and job placement
activities, which prepare students psychologically and practically for the transition to the high tech
work force, are an essential part of our training process.
The workshops complement classroom training, aiming to strengthen our students' self-confidence, to
provide tools to deal with the new situations they will encounter and to ensure that our graduates
successfully integrate into the high tech world. In addition to the workshops, our students benefited
from enrichment activities.
Placement and enrichment activities during this period included:

 Creative thinking seminars

 Learning development seminars

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  guest lectures by Shai Vardi, Israel Discount Bank's Director of Information Systems and
Technological Division, historian Dr. Hagai Erlich, Microsoft VP Ronen Samocha, People and
Computers' Editor in Chief and Joint CEO Peli
"the Tiger" Peled, ENP Executive Director
Negist Mangesha, Tech-Career graduates
Daniel Mekonen, Benny Melaku, and Daniel
Yaakove and others;
 visits to high tech companies and departments:
Ness Technologies, DSP, Israel Discount
Bank's Software Testing Center, IBM;
 a visit to Yad Vashem and the memorial site for
members of the Beta Yisrael community who
died on the way to Israel, weekly discussions
on current issues and events;
 personal development workshops: interpersonal
communication, self-confidence, strong points,
identity, marketing;
 career skills workshops: time management, personal responsibility, preparation for job
interview, CV writing;
 additional placement preparation sessions and job interview simulations;
 annual trip – 3 day trip to northern Israel;
 participation in Sig'd holiday celebrations

B. Mechina Program
In September 2008, Tech-Career opened a Mechina Program in cooperation with the non-profit
organization One-to-One. Tech-Career's Mechina Program offered participants the opportunity to
acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in science faculties in Israeli academic
institutions. The intensive 6 month residential course concentrated on key matriculation subjects
such as English and mathematics in addition to skills required to succeed at academic institutions.
Staff closely accompanied students, exposing them to the academic world. Graduates received
Tech-Career and matriculation certificates. Tech-Career's pilot Mechina course successfully
concluded in April, 2009 with 10 graduates. All graduates were accepted to Israeli academic
institutions for the current academic year, including competitive engineering programs at Israel's
top universities, the Technion and Tel Aviv University.

C. Partnerships
Tech-Career has continued its successful partnership with the John Bryce Training Center, the
largest high tech private college in Israel, whose instructors give software development courses at
Tech-Career. Two of our graduates are now employed as instructors at John Bryce. The Ministry of
Industry, Trade & Labor is an important party to our cooperation with John Bryce, and grants
our graduates professional training certificates. As mentioned above, Tech-Career submitted a
tender proposal to the Ministry at their request in order to convert our relationship into a direct
one.
Tech-Career continues to forge new relationships and developing existing ones with various
companies in Israel's high tech industry for the purposes of training our students in the specific
fields and latest technology required by the high tech market and to ensure job placement.

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Ongoing Challenges
1. Ensuring job placement for our graduates. This is increasingly challenging, as the number of
graduates grows and considering the fact that many high tech companies slowed their hiring
processes this past year. In light of Tech-Career's obligation to place our students, we are making
every effort to help all our graduates find rewarding
careers, holding placement preparation activities for
both students and graduates. Tech-Career's alumni
association is also deeply committed to this cause.
2. Ensuring the financial sustainability of Tech-Career.
This is an ongoing challenge. Tech-Career continues
to explore possibilities for further cooperation with
high tech companies, academic institutions and
funders (foundations, federations and private
donors) in Israel and abroad. As mentioned, our
graduates, who we believe will be the economically
independent future leaders and social activists of
the Ethiopian Israeli community, continue to be
part of our income.

Growth and Development

Tech-Career has been asked to create branches in two other Israeli cities in order to bring our training
program to a wider population, due to the growing reputation of excellence and results. If we receive
ongoing funding for this purpose, we will be able to begin to establish such branches. Tech-Career is
continuing to consult with a number of partners in the planning process and to explore possibilities for
further cooperation with high tech companies, academic institutions and funders in Israel and abroad.
Tech-Career looks forward to the future, as an increasing number of Ethiopian Israelis lead the way
towards minimizing the gap between the Ethiopian Israeli community and the rest of Israeli society. On
this important journey, Tech-Career requires continued support.

Latest Updates – March 2010

 Tech-Career's 10th course, our first COBOL course has just graduated!
 Tech-Career's 11th course, an SQA course, is now under way…
 Tech-Career has just been certified as a Microsoft IT Academy. This will allow us to expand training
possibilities in terms of curriculum, resources and certification
 Tech-Career has just reached an agreement with the Israeli corporation Rad Binat to train Cisco
Certificate Network Professionals (CCNP).

Tech-Career wishes to thank all of our friends, donors and partners over the past
year:
Donors:
Anonymous donors, Baron de Hirsch Fund, DM Charitable Trust, DSP Group, Friends of Ethiopian Jews,
Intel, Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, Microsoft Israel, Natan Fund, Private donors,
Rochlin Family Foundation, Tevet, Trump Family Foundation, UJA Federation of New York,
Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Partners:
Adam Milo, Bank Hapoalim, Bezeq, DSP Group, Extreme, IBM, Israel Discount Bank, John Bryce
Training Center, Matrix, Menorah, Microsoft, Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor, MIT, Ness, Netwise,
NDS, Pilat, SPL, Taldor, Yael Software and more.

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 Tech-Career 2009 Budget and Expenditures in US$ ($1 = NIS 3.7)
Expenditures January-
Budget December 2009
Personnel 146,000 132,620
Operating Expenses 26,351 17,052
Professional services 6,757 6,757
PROGRAMS
Technology Training
Personnel 80,097 65,277
Training 342,486 270,728
Enrichment Activities 62,919 11,037
Job Placement Activities 52,865 36,065
Additional Operating Expenses 302,757 164,333
Total 841,124 547,439
Mechina
Personnel 12,373 28,521
Training 3,108 3,261
Enrichment Activities 5,595 10,687
Additional Operating Expenses 14,958 17,084
Total 36,034 59,553
Total Programs 877,158 609,748
Total Budget for 2009 1,056,266 766,177
2008 budget shortfall + miscellaneous clauses 80,754
Total 846,932

Income for 2009 US$ ($1=NIS 3.7)

Anonymous 42,000
Arte 40,500
Baron de Hirsch Fund 45,000
DSP Group 5,600
DM Charitable Foundation 40,000
Natan 57,000
UJA-Federation of New York 80,200
One-to-One 60,660
Rochlin 35,000
Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco 42,000
Tech-Career Graduates 17,500
Trump Family Foundation 8,700
Tevet 7,500
Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Inc. 50,000
Ministry of Industry, Trade & Labor – in kind 194,000
Private Donors 45,000
Total Granted 770,660
Budget notes
1. The past year was a challenging year in terms of fundraising: not all requests were approved, some were
postponed. As a result we were forced to cut back program activities.
2. The budget shortfall was caused by activities carried out in 2008 but paid for in 2009, relating to the
establishment of our third classroom, and by a deficit from 2008. We have covered this shortfall with a loan.

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