IDI.2018

MARC ISRAEL SELLEM
Daphna Aviram-Nitzan, the Director of the Center for Governance and the Economy at
the Israel Democracy Institute, with Shraga Brosh, the President of the Manufacturers
Association of Israel
this by itself. Employers don’t have enough
money, or the mindset or the time for that
because they don’t make long-term plans
for the future.
“They don’t see the whole picture because
they are focused soley on the profitability
of their businesses. They have to survive
and grow. I believe it is the government’s
responsibility to lead change in the market
and shift it in the right direction, the
government must encourage employees to
learn new skills, it won’t happen by itself,”
Aviram-Nitzan emphasized.
She warned that if action is not taken, the
economic gap in Israel could widen further.
“Both the hi-tech sector and the rest of
the economy are already suffering from a
mismatch of workers, and that’s why there
is such a gap between rich and poor. The hitech
sector is faced with a huge obstacle, it is
in need of more engineers and technicians,
which the market cannot supply. In addition,
other sectors also needs occupations that the
market has not provided. So the government
must roll up its sleeves, get involved and
bridge these gaps. If we don’t deal with this
now, both the Israeli economy and society
will face a dramatic crisis. I fear that this
gap could grow even further between those
who have the technological skills and
those who don’t, who will be increasingly
redundent to the future job market.”
Brosh urged Israelis to engage in what he
called “life-long self-learning.”
“Today it only takes three or four years for
the latest technologies to become irrelevant.
If people want to keep their jobs and remain
relevant to the future job market, they have
to engage in a constant process of selflearning”.
“This is the education system’s
responsibility,” he highlighted. “It has
to teach the new generation to continue
learning on a permanent basis, from the
moment they finish high school until they
reach retirement. This was not the case in
the past. If you learned to be a carpenter or
a welder, you could stay one until the end
of your career. Today, every three or four
years you have to move forward, and the
government has to provide you with the
skills to do it.”
Aviram-Nitzan added: “It’s a huge
challenge for the educational system to
provide us with the people that the labor
market will need in 20 years time. Half of
the children who are starting school now
will work in occupations that may not yet
exist. So we need to provide our children
with tools for life-long learning, selflearning
and technological abilities. Most
importantly, we need to teach our children
to adapt to rapid and significant changes,
because this will be the new reality 10 or 20
years from now. I think everyone who gets
an education should think about what he or
she is going to do with it when they grow
up and go to work. It doesn’t have to be a
technical occupation but it must be relevant
to the needs of the market.
“I would just like to add that If we want
to maintain the stability of our Israeli
democracy, it is very important that people
get the right education so that they can
support themselves, and live and work
with dignity in a stable environment,” said
Aviram-Nitzan.
Asked about his advice to young Israelis,
Brosh said with a smile: “Come and be part
of the Israeli industry. Believe me, it’s a big
challenge. You have to go to high school,
study technical courses, go to the army, then
try to gain experience in those areas you
learned about. When you get out of the army,
some people will directly begin working,
and some will go on to study at higher
educational institutions, universities or
technical colleges. My advice is, come back
to the industry you’re interested in because,
as I said, technology will constantly change
in the future. For the younger generation,
it’s a big challenge to learn new things and
adapt to new situations and standards here
in Israel.”
Addressing their optimism about the
future of the country’s economy as it
approaches its 70th anniversary, Brosh
said: “First of all, as a manufacturer, I am
always optimistic, otherwise I could never
run a factory. Seriously though, I think we
need to focus on closing the gaps between
the different sectors in Israeli economy
and society. We don’t like the fact that this
gap is growing bigger and bigger. It’s very
risky. One of the ways to close this gap is
education. Education is the key to making
more money, and adapting to the needs of
our society. But yes, I am optimistic, and
I’m sure that the next 70 years will be even
better than the last 70 years.”
Aviram-Nitzan added that “at IDI, we
try to work with partners in civil society,
the private sector and government, to drive
forward-looking thinking, planning and
policymaking. I continue to be optimistic
about our future, despite the many
challenges. I see an awakening among
policymakers, employers and labor unions
with regards to the need for change. The
future is uncertain, but if we work together,
we will be ready for whatever it brings.”
70 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE 11