A unique course called “Career Bridge” has been completed, training participants for “Salesforce” in Israel. It is a joint project of Salesforce, a cloud-based customer management platform (CSM) that brings companies and customers together; the “Middle of the Road” program sponsored by the Joint and the Population Employment Unit at the Ministry of Labor; and WEDO, a Gold Partner of Salesforce. The initiative was spearheaded by the Salesforce Women’s Forum, including Michal Levitan-Giat, Meital Tveria Agmon, Liraz Zohar, Odelia Rosenfeld, and Li-Mor Navon.
A Course Taught by Volunteers
The course targeted job seekers aged 45 and over and was attended by 20 people, 13 women and seven men, selected from dozens of candidates after a rigorous selection procedure to determine their qualifications.
The curriculum included frontal and online instruction and firsthand experience to prepare for a certification exam for the position of the system administrator. It enabled each participant to grow and acquire vital knowledge for their professional development.
The course, which lasted about three months, was taught by some 15 instructors from Salesforce and WEDO, under the management of Amit Strykowski, a pre-sales engineer at WEDO. They were assisted by 10 mentors from the hi-tech industry—all volunteering in addition to their daily jobs.
The content was based on a unique format built for and adapted to the target audience. It included learning the Salesforce program, skills related to processing analysis and working with users, along with practical tools for integration into the job market such as writing a resume, preparing for interviews, and more.
In the final phase, each participant set up a system based on a real case which was then presented to the group. This provided the first-hand experience, transitioning from the theoretical phase to implementation.
The course concluded with a stirring virtual session summarizing everything that was learned.
A Product of Collaboration
In her closing remarks, Yulia Eitan, director of the Population Employment Unit at the Ministry of Labor, praised the collaboration between the three partner companies, the Labor branch and the Joint. “This exciting project is an excellent example of achieving results and success by connecting different bodies and combining their capabilities, support, and commitment. I congratulate the graduates and wish them the best and highest quality integration into the industry.”
Ruben Gorbatt, director of Programs for ultra-Orthodox and older workers at the Joint, added that “the energies and commitment of the joint team were mobilized for one goal: reintegrating people into the labor market. This course creates a new model and channel for integration into the workforce and we welcome that.”
Middle of the Road employment program manager Gally Covo praised the partnership and sense of mission that accompanied all the partners along the way. “All those involved, including participants in the training course, invested a lot of time and energy to ensure the success of this project.”
“We came a long way together thanks to the great efforts of everyone, including a lot of people behind the scenes,” said Odelia Rosenfeld, director of employee experience at the Salesforce Women’s Forum. “This investment expresses Salesforce’s commitment to the Israeli branch of the company and our desire to help people integrate into the workforce and implement Salesforce’s worldview and values.”
Lee-Moore Navon, director-general of WEDO, thanked the course participants for their commitment and perseverance. “I am proud to be part of this wonderful group and want to emphasize that from this point on, the commitment passes to us, the employers. We must give these talented people an equal opportunity, and their experience and commitment will benefit us all.”
We are pleased to announce that a number of course participants have already started working and some will join the staff at WEDO. Others are volunteering for various non-profit organizations to return the favor bestowed upon them.
This article was also published on the website People and Computers (PC.co.il)
