Israel Innovation Authority Announces Winners in Competition to Establish Coding Bootcamps to Train High Quality Software Developers for the Hi-tech Industry

2,000 software developers set to participate in bootcamps expected to join the workforce within five years

Tel Aviv. The Israel Innovation Authority is pleased to announce the winning non-academic programs in the competition to establish “coding bootcamps.” The bootcamps, chosen from a total of 24 submitted proposals, include:

• Tapuach
• Infinity Labs
• ITC – Israel Tech Challenge
• Experis Kickstart
• Elevation Academy
• Kav Mashve
• Primrose

Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, Eli Cohen, said:  “Our goal is to increase the number of top-notch pathways to enter the hi-tech industry in order to provide a solution for our lack of software developers. The hi-tech industry is a significant growth engine for the economy and these bootcamps will provide an opportunity for employees with high potential from diverse backgrounds. This program is a significant step on the road to increase the amount of human capital in hi-tech, and is expected to yield as many as 280 graduates in the first year alone – a number that represents  about ten percent of the number of those graduating with technology degrees from universities each year.”

The coding bootcamps approved by the Israel Innovation Authority are intensive and  practical extra-academic training program, which provide relatively swift training in  programming. They are intended to provide a high-quality solution to the growing need for software developers in Israel’s hi-tech industry. The frameworks are selective and scout for high potential candidates – at least 50% of whom are academics with scientific backgrounds – and then train them in different programming roles. The coding bootcamps aim at placing graduates in high-wage development positions throughout the hi-tech industry.

Coding bootcamps first appeared in the United States in 2012, and since then have become popular training routes for programming positions. Today, the camps provide about one quarter of the personnel employed in this field every year. Eighty percent of U.S. hi-tech companies have recruited at least one coding bootcamp graduate and 84% of them report that bootcamp graduates are as proficient, or more so, than university graduates.

The entities, selected in a competitive process by a professional committee that included representatives of industry and government, will be responsible for recruiting promising candidates, providing them with high-quality training, and integrating the graduates into high wage development roles throughout the hi-tech industry. The Israel Innovation Authority’s system of remuneration is based on “pay-per-performance,” that is, the coding bootcamps will receive the majority of their fees only when graduates are placed in software development roles at salaries higher than 14,000 shekels per month. Bootcamps will receive  fees at a rate commensurate with the salaries the graduates receive, and the bootcamps will be able to receive grants with preferential conditions for successful placements of employees from diverse populations: women, people over 45, members of the Arab and  Ultra-orthodox communities, immigrants from Ethiopia, and those with disabilities.

Ties with the selected coding bootcamps will extend for three years according to conditions set in advance.

Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chief Scientist and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, said: “The Israel Innovation Authority is promoting the ‘coding bootcamp’ model as one more significant channel that will provide solutions for the lack of skilled personnel in the hi-tech industry. The demand for software developers exceeds the supply, and the shortage poses an obstacle to the continued development of the innovation ecosystem in Israel. The Israel Innovation Authority is acting through various routes to increase the number of hi-tech personnel in general, and software developers in particular. In this framework, the coding bootcamp model, which has demonstrated success abroad, is a great opportunity for training high-quality software developers in a relatively swift timeframe.”

CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, Aharon Aharon said: “The Israel Innovation Authority is committed to finding solutions for all obstacles standing in the way of the hi-tech industry, mostly the lack of outstanding engineers and developers. The coding bootcamps will bring exceptional personnel to the ecosystem and provide a solution in a relatively short time frame. At the same time, we are working to create additional, complementary ways of expanding the number of  skilled personnel for the hi-tech industry, whether it be trained personnel from abroad or from underrepresented demographics in Israel.”

The Head of Societal Challenges Division, Naomi Krieger-Carmy, said: “We congratulate the coding bootcamps selected amongst the many proposals due to their commitment to the standards of quality and excellence that we set . Amongst the winners, there are both new and veteran organizations, business ventures and non-profits. The bootcamps will act in different areas in Israel and are aimed at attracting outstanding candidates from throughout the country. Some of them have dedicated programs for training women, those from peripheral and from the Arab and Ultra-orthodox communities. At the end of the day, the test of their success will be their results. We call on the hi-tech industry, eager for trained personnel, to be a real partner on this path.”