Vocational Training Courses for East Jerusalem Residents
Since 2014, MATI has been providing vocational training courses for residents of East Jerusalem, run and taught by local staff. We have succeeded in connecting with the community and making Israeli government services accessible, even among populations that find it difficult to identify with Israeli institutions. We run practical programs aimed at economic welfare that touch on the social realm, including financial literacy workshops, training daycare caregivers in our TIFLI program, teaching Hebrew to university graduates, and providing vocational training for youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds.
Our vocational training and Hebrew language programs address the barriers that prevent Arab residents of Jerusalem from finding employment in West Jerusalem. Overcoming this barrier requires confident use of Hebrew and interaction with the Jewish population. Along with the practical skills that we teach, MATI is also building bridges between the city’s populations, to facilitate daily interactions and change hearts and minds.
Vocational Training Impacts in 2025
Arab youths completed vocational courses
state-approved Caregivers graduated from our TIFLI program
new Pedagogical Counsellors were trained in cooperation with the Hebrew U
educators were trained as Parental Advisors
LAVI Program for At-Risk Youth
MATI has been training Arab at-risk youth aged 17 and 18 from East Jerusalem to learn a profession, teaching them skills that we know are in demand in the city. In addition to giving them technical skills, our program focuses on their personal empowerment – developing their ability to earn a livelihood in the future, and enabling them to continue directly into the workforce rather than facing unemployment. Currently we are offering courses to help them become cellular phone technicians, paramedics, chefs and bakers, and video editors. This program is run in cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and its Directory of Education – another example of MATI’s tight cooperation with local government institutions.
Opening up Vocational Opportunities
MATI has opened up new career opportunities in Jerusalem for Arab men and women of all ages, by providing professional training equipping them to become group facilitators, event planners, bakers & caterers, fitness coaches, and cosmeticians. Through the framework of our TIFLI program, we train women as early childhood caregivers and educators recognized by the Israeli government. Following our 2025 pilot program, 17 women from East Jerusalem are now working in West Jerusalem education institutions. The Jerusalem Municipality wishes to continue this program and opening it up to additional cohorts and professions.
PLANS FOR 2026
PROGRAM PARTNERS
Our vocational training courses are run in partnership with the Jerusalem Municipality, the Ministry of Education, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ayeca College, Yad Hanadiv, and the Mandell & Madeleine Berman Foundation.
Help us to educate and empower disadvantaged populations in East Jerusalem and build bridges between the city’s populations.
Talk to us about opportunities for sponsoring our vocational training programs and Hebrew language courses!