Women lead change in Idan HaNegev
40 leading Australian businesswomen have visited the Switch-Triguboff Centre for Training and Advancement of Employment in the Idan HaNegev Industrial Park in order to learn about its unique training model.
The delegation at the Centre
Among the delegation members were Jillian Segal, chairwoman of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce, and Paul Israel, CEO of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and a member of the executive board of the Harry Oscar Triguboff Institute, which founded the Switch Center.
The Switch-Triguboff Center for Training and Advancement of Employment was established as a project of the Harry Oscar Triguboff Institute at Beit Idan HaNegev, in partnership with the Idan HaNegev Company and with assistance from JNF Australia. The centre, which was founded in accordance with the vision of Harry Oscar Triguboff to promote employment among Negev Bedouin society, works in collaboration with Moona, A Space for Change — a centre of technology that works for innovation and technological projects as a means of social and economic development.
A delegation of approximately 40 leading Australian businesswomen arrived in Israel last Tuesday (June 25) as part of a task force of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce that addressed the issue of women’s employment and women’s initiatives. During their visit to the Idan HaNegev Industrial Park, the delegation members focused upon trends in the job market in Bedouin society and examined ways to address the issue by various means, including education, training, and the encouragement of entrepreneurial projects.
The delegation members visited the new Switch-Triguboff Center for Training and Advancement of Employment, which opened recently in Beit Idan HaNegev, at the heart of the industrial park that is shared by the communities of Rahat, Lehavim, and Bnei Shimon. The centre, which was introduced by Shalom Norman, CEO of the Harry Oscar Triguboff Institute, works in the fields of professional training, professional and individual advancement, and the encouragement of entrepreneurial projects, fueled by a holistic vision and a wish to advance cooperation and integration.
Later on in the meeting, the Australian businesswomen attended a survey given by Mahmoud Alamour, CEO of the Rahat Economic Company, about trends in the job market in Rahat, with an emphasis on entrepreneurial projects by women. They also met with Dr. Nuzha Alasad Alhuzail, who manages the Koret Economic Development Funds, which offer financial support to women entrepreneurs and small businesses. They then heard from two women tour operators in Rahat, each of whom opened her home to establish a small business in tourism and hospitality. The tour operators will be participating in a course soon to be offered by the Switch Center on digital presence for women tour operators.
The Australian task force was headed by Christine Bartlett and Jennifer Westacott, high-ranking businesswomen who have worked for innovation among many companies in Australia, and Jillian Segal, chairwoman of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce. Accompanying the delegation was Paul Israel, the CEO of the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and a member of the executive board of the Harry Oscar Triguboff Institute.
At the end of the meeting, the staff of the Switch Center went to the Segev Shalom Community Center to attend the second championship math games of Matific’s Ten Fingers program, that works in cooperation with the Segev Shalom community centre, the Triguboff Institute, and the Switch Centre.
