Israeli tech company Place-IL, backed by some of the biggest tech giants in the world, is paving the way to solve Israel's labor shortage.
It's unavoidable; Israel's hi-tech industry is seriously lacking employees. The situation has become dire. On the one hand, screening processes are difficult to manage, but on the other hand, new workers in the field have trouble breaking into the industry.
That's why Place-IL is leading a fundamental change in the sourcing, screening and placement process applied for underrepresented and minority groups.
According to Place-IL CEO Keren Halperin-Musseri, despite a shortage of approximately 20,000 employees in hi-tech, the impressive qualification array established in Israel in recent years manages to successfully place only 4% of the underrepresented populations.
Place-IL, led by Bridgecrew co-founder Idan Tendler, intends to handle the initial placement of inexperienced candidates, in particular those from the Haredi, Arab, Druze and Ethiopian sectors, in oder to set the foundation for a more balanced and diverse hi-tech industry in Israel.
“Place-IL was founded by experienced hi-tech entrepreneurs, together with the Israel venture capital community and supported by companies operating within the ecosystem”, said Tendler. “We see a growing community of hi-tech volunteers who help evaluate candidates in Israel, working together toward a joint cause – closing the labor gaps – both for filling positions and for achieving proper representation for all populations in Israel.”
Place-IL will operate a marketplace in which Israeli high-tech companies and employers involved in the venture will be able to select candidates who underwent quality screening and integrate them in a unique and cross-company internship program that will provide the candidates the relevant experience and a true opportunity to fill permanent positions.
The platform was developed together with dozens of leading companies, including Google, Monday, Cisco, Armis, Palo Alto Networks, Axonius and Hibob.
Now, Place-IL has launched its first pilot program in cooperation with the Labor Department of the Economy Ministry, during which hundreds of Israeli candidates will go through a software development recruitment process. Those deemed successful will soon enough enter the internship program.
The screening process is unique, with candidates going through several layers of testing from psychologists to people from the industry.
"Candidates who successfully complete the evaluation, which includes a professional code assignment, is assigned to a 3-month salaried internship program at one of the high-tech companies that pay for the placement and for use of the platform," explained Halperin-Musseri.