Conference and workshop, Vienna, 3-5 December 2012 ETF regional project ”Mapping VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion: the role of VET in promoting employment, equity, social cohesion and active citizenship in Western Balkans, Turkey (WBT) and Israel” VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion in Israel Conference and workshop, Vienna, 3-5 December 2012

1. Israel: Key policy issues in the current policy debates Mapping VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion: the role of VET in promoting employment, equity, social cohesion and active citizenship in Western Balkans, Turkey (WBT) and Israel 1. Israel: Key policy issues in the current policy debates • 2 offices for 2 types of Vocational Education: MoE and Tamat, TVET and VET. Tamat is often used for drop outs or failures from MoE. Concern to collaborate and improve status of VET of Tamat. • Increasing the 4% (VET) and 30% (TVET): Create equal opportunities for high status T/VET education in contrast to only General/Academic studies. Meeting OECD standard. More true VET/work programs. Assisting marginalized communities: Historical reliance on vocational studies for the periphery vs. modern move for equal opportunities. Using VET to decrease the reliance on welfare subsidies and transition to the labour market for minorities and the ultra-orthodox. Implementing Knesset policy decisions: Even after the government recognizes and approves policy, instigation and regulation problems remain with teachers, unions, local government, industries, and school administration.

2. Israel: Key points arising from national level interviews Mapping VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion: the role of VET in promoting employment, equity, social cohesion and active citizenship in Western Balkans, Turkey (WBT) and Israel 2. Israel: Key points arising from national level interviews • More collaboration with industries, labor unions. Need for “social partners”. Making apprenticeships a requirement of government regulation rather than the initiative of businesses. Providing training that meets needs of industries. • Paradox of marginalized communities. 40% of the Tamat students are Arabs compared to 20% of the population. VET has higher status. The periphery has been in a state of de-vocationalization for over 30 years. Equal opportunity for university study ironically widens the gap. Lacking vocational programs for ultra-orthodox. • The importance of the army: The integration of army service with vocational studies. Those who are able to integrate have greater career success. Schools and programs that are connected to the army. • Vocational Diplomas: Over-reliance on standardized matriculation exam. Improving the ambitions of VET students by increasing the status of vocational diplomas.

3. Israel: Points discussed with national advisory boards Mapping VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion: the role of VET in promoting employment, equity, social cohesion and active citizenship in Western Balkans, Turkey (WBT) and Israel 3. Israel: Points discussed with national advisory boards • Statistics available: Most data is on TVET from MoE. There is much less information about VET from Tamat. Research population is unique. • Diverse examples of Tamat: Schools are often segregated and cater to specific sectors of society: Ultra-Orthodox, Arabs, immigrants ,etc. • Success stories: Tamat schools are often last-ditched efforts at education. They want to see the Tamat success stories in order to understand what needs to be done for other schools. • Apprenticeship programs: Importance for the students, who become motivated as a result of the practical skills towards employment and improved salary. • Lacking collaboration with MOE: They don’t want to refer the students over to Tamat, because they will lose funds. “Holding the students hostage”. Rather, they search for alternative programs.

4. Israel: Problems facing the project and actions to resolve them Mapping VET Education Policies and Practices for Social Inclusion and Social Cohesion: the role of VET in promoting employment, equity, social cohesion and active citizenship in Western Balkans, Turkey (WBT) and Israel 4. Israel: Problems facing the project and actions to resolve them • Diverse religions, religiosities, ethnicities, and migration waves: Problem: Communities and schools are highly segregated. Solution: Investigate 3 highly diverse schools (Arab, Ultra-Orthodox, and Immigrant) • Only three schools from a smaller system: Problem: National representation based on marginalized communities in a marginalized educational track. Solution: Provide context for the analysis of these schools with data from MoE on the entire educational system (TVET and general) plus VET data from Tamat. • Access and compliance with all of the administrators and teachers: Problem: Sampling preference towards staff with positive or negative opinions. Desirability bias to show that these schools are doing a good job. Solution: Butterfly sampling, rather than first conducting focus groups. The war. Problem: 2 of the 3 schools are located in the South and were under fire and/or classes were cancelled for an extended period. Stressful situation. Interviews cut short and cancelled. Solution: Cease fire, return to normalcy.