Israel recently launched a $70 million program to promote entrepreneurship in Arab communities, with the goal to better integrate the Arab workforce in Israel's booming tech industry.
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Outlined by the Israel Innovation Authority, the goal of the program is to better integrate the Arab workforce in Israel's booming tech industry.
Karina Rubinstein, director of business development for the Startup Division of the IIA, spoke to i24NEWS on how the funding will make a change.
"We see a change in the Arab employment in high-tech in the past years, but it's not enough," Rubinstein said.
"The reasons for the small numbers are partially relating to… the [low] connectivity of the Arab workers to the high-tech world."
While 20% of Israel's population is Arab, they only make up 3.5% of workers in the tech sector, according to Tsofen, an organization that promotes tech activity in Arab cities.
"[Arab-Israelis] have to compete with other workers, and they sometimes lack the knowledge of how to pass an interview or how to have these 'soft skills," Rubinstein explained. "So the culture gaps are there."
The director told i24NEWS that the IIA is also looking to create new "innovation centers in Israel's Arab communities," sites for entrepreneurs to pitch ideas and consult with others alike.
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"Another thing we will do is acceleration programs. This is really needed because otherwise, these ideas will not be translated into startups," said Rubinstein.
Part of such programs, she noted, would include "investors clubs" to encourage more "pre-seed funding for Arab startups" and boost the presence of investors in such communities.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
