The “Creating Career Opportunities in Hi-Tech for Druze” conference to showcase career opportunities for Israeli minorities in the high-tech industry will be held in the northern city of Haifa on December 23.

The conference will be hosted by IT Works, an independent charity operating throughout Israel since 2006 that implements vocational training programs for disadvantaged populations in Israeli society.

It is hoped that participants will gain insight into the high-tech industry through workshops and lectures provided by leaders in Israel’s high-tech sector. A lecture on “Innovation in Communications Technology” will be given by Mr. Gil Baumoel of Cisco Systems.

The experts will also be on hand to discuss career development, with subjects to be covered including Curriculum Vitae/resume writing; interview preparation; career consultation; and networking.

The conference is to be held at Intel’s headquarters in Israel at the Matam Industrial Park in Haifa.

Conference sponsors include Intel, The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Another attempt to help members of Israel’s Druze sector to penetrate the local high-tech world was made possible by American businessman and philanthropist Isaac Applbaum, who founded ExcelHT, a scholarship program that aims to identify suitable Druze students and help them through the entire process of matriculation, army service, college and landing a high-tech career.