JobKatif maintains a professional website listing hundreds of job opportunities (exclusively accessible to the former residents of Gush Katif via a login and password).
Many former Gush Katif residents cannot resume their previous careers. The majority, who were engaged in agriculture, cannot apply their skills in their new environment. The urgently need career retraining to be qualified for the jobs in demand in today's market. Retraining fees are beyond the financial ability of the residents, as is the burden of family expenses while time in put into taking a course. This kind of directed retraining service is not provided by the government JobKatif aims to cover $3,000 of each retraining course while providing a stipend of $4,500 to help cover a portion of the family's living expenses for six months.
JobKatif has already helped more than 50 people receive vocational training, and 25 people begin academic programs. We plan to help an additional 100 people start on a new career path.
The majority of people in Gush Katif was either entrepreneurs or was employed by family businesses. Government compensation has not been received in all but a few cases due to lack of agreement between business owners and the authorities regarding the value of the businesses. In most cases, the government is offering only resale value for equipment lost (i.e. greenhouses), whereas the evacuees are claiming replacement value.
For exporters and national suppliers especially, businesses needed to be rebuilt immediately in order to maintain the business client-base. Many people are finding themselves back to square-one; they are forced to rebuild their businesses from scratch, even though they already put in 20-30 years of work to build enterprises that flourished in Gush Katif. Some former residents of Gush Katif are seizing the opportunity they now have to begin anew, and are opening businesses that they only dreamed about in Gush Katif, where they were employees.
JobKatif has helped more than 100 businesses open their doors, employing about 300 people from Gush Katif and the Northern Shomron. Our business consultants have been able to help the entrepreneurs develop business plans, feasibility-market analyses, and to define milestones for the new business to reach in the future. The grants are provided in increments based on the progress of each business and achievement of goals as stipulated in the business plan. This process of assistance has proved very effective since it is often only once the business has developed that we are able to designate the best and most efficient ways to allocate the financial assistance. We are proud to say that most businesses helped by JobKatif are profitable already, or will be lucrative in the near future.
JobKatif plans to help an additional 110 businesses with financial grants and business coaching in the next year, employing an additional 300 people.
JobKatif has 150 volunteer mentors from the professional world hi-tech personnel, rabbis, teachers, social workers, psychologists, doctors, lawyers, accountants who meet directly with the former residents of Gush Katif, assisting in CV preparation and location of job offers, and who strengthen the support of JobKatif's efforts around the world. There is daily phone contact and frequent personal meetings, in an effort to strengthen their self confidence and motivation.
Jobkatif has an office that operates in space donated by IDT, in their building in Jerusalem. A staff of three women through National Service (Sherut Leumi) and two salaried workers reaches out to potential employers, compile information for the website, match candidates for employment with employers and perform other practical tasks to assist in the job search process. They also maintain contact JobKatif's network of field workers and coaches, and the various government agencies dealing with employment. JobKatif's field workers and coaches (former residents of Gush Katif who now live in the temporary evacuee communities) provide immediate emotional and practical support to the former residents of Gush Katif and connect them with the office staff and the team of professional volunteers. These field workers also scout out employment opportunities in their local areas.
The JobKatif staff team as a whole helps the former residents of Gush Katif return to healthy and productive lives by whatever means are called for; our staff help people get out of their caravillas, and go back to work and/or build a business. Our lineup of office staff, field workers and coaches help people find positions that suit their skills, build the confidence to get the job, monitor the newly established businesses, and maintaining contact with our volunteer mentors. Thanks to the JobKatif staff and volunteer network, 750 people have returned to work, and more and more of the 800 remaining unemployed people from Gush Katif are securing employment each day.
JobKatif is in constant contact with the Government. Rav Rimon (JobKatif founder and chairman) meets regularly with government officials, who recognize the important contribution JobKatif makes towards solving the difficult problems of employing the former residents of Gush Katif.
|
