The Civil Service Commissioner, Prof. Daniel Hershkowitz, and a delegation of senior officials toured the Lauder Employment Center in Beersheba on Thursday.
The center was established by Jewish philanthropist and World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder in cooperation with the Jewish National Fund USA (JNF-USA). During their visit, the officials conveyed their commitment to developing the Negev and the Galilee.
The tour included a meeting at Russell Robinson Hall in the Lauder Center, located in Beersheba’s Old City neighborhood. It focused on presenting the Lauder Centers’ activities, discussing employment challenges in the Negev and Galilee, and exploring possible solutions to address these issues.
The Lauder Employment Centers were founded to promote equality in employment opportunities in the Negev and Galilee for diverse populations that live in these regions, with an eye on both current and future, possible needs.
Helping young people with their professional development
These centers attract young people, helping them find pathways for personal and professional development and encouraging them to settle either in the Negev or the Galilee.
To date, the centers have assisted thousands of students and graduates from academic institutions in the Negev and Galilee as these individuals made their first steps into the job market.
Additionally, the centers host conferences, lectures, and workshops for thousands of students to prepare them for the job market.
They also offer individual career counseling for both students and graduates from surrounding academic institutions in these regions. What is more, the center leads unique forums for collaboration, such as the Career Centers Forum of Academic Institutions and the Human Resources Managers Forum in hi-tech companies in the Negev. These initiatives aim to promote new employment opportunities in the South and North of Israel.
“Developing the Galilee and Negev has been a top Zionist priority since the founding of the Jewish state,” said Avi Balashnikov, Ronald Lauder’s representative in Israel and chairman of the Lauder Employment Centers, who led the meeting.
“The Lauder Employment Centers are committed to the vision of development and revival in the southern and northern parts of the country,” he continued. “We were pleased to present the commissioner with today’s main employment challenges and the plans developed and led by the Lauder Centers to address them. I commend the commissioner for his commitment to advancing employment in the Galilee and Negev.”