Afterschool Voc-Ed Program Teaching At-Risk Youth to Repair Computers

The Fundamentalist, which is the Jewish Telegraphic Association's (JTA) new philanthropy blog, reported yesterday about an exciting effort combining afterschool, career development and training for "at-risk" youth.

On a recent media tour to Negev, correspondents toured Net@. According to their blog entry, "Net@ is a four-year-long after-school program run in lower-income areas that teaches high school students how to become computer repair technicians. When the students complete the course, they receive an internationally recognized certificate that qualifies them as IT techs. Open to “at-risk” students, the program seeks not A+ students, but those just a cut below, according to Net@ officials. The idea is to help students who might not have great financial prospects to find good-paying middle class jobs. And, it tries to attract girls, who are normally less likely to go into the IT filed."

According to their report, 100 youth are served with a budget of $175,000. However with the falling dollar, they may have to reduce the program by half in the coming year.

This model may provide some ideas about the best ways to help teens develop new skills in your community while preparing them to compete in the global economy.

To read more about this compelling program, click here.