As the closing date for a tender announced by the Ministry of
Industry and Trade's Investments Center draws near, Modi'in
Illit Council Head Rabbi Yaakov Guterman is formulating a
plan in cooperation with the Joint Distribution Committee to
distribute a questionnaire among residents to find job
candidates for a center that would provide telephone support
services for various companies.
Several months ago the government reached a decision,
following extensive efforts by Rabbi Guterman, to include
Modi'in Illit in a unique project that grants extraordinary
benefits to companies that set up call centers in certain
cities. These centers would provide information and customer
service to individuals calling municipal and government
hotlines, hospitals, health funds (kupot cholim),
private clinics and reception desks at various places.
According to the government's decision, "A telephone support,
archival services or records maintenance company that sets up
a large employment center in the towns Daliat A-Carmel, Ariel
or Modi'in Illit will be able to take part in a tender to
receive extensive aid for the maintenance and employment of
[its] workers since these towns suffer from particularly high
unemployment."
According to the criteria set by the Investments Center, for
participation in the tender companies must employ at least 80
workers and 80 percent of them must be town residents. The
company must operate in the town for 3-5 years, full-time
workers must be paid at least 10 percent-15 percent more than
minimum wage (currently NIS 3350 per month) and the
employment center must be set up inside Modi'in Illit.
In a bidders' meeting held at the Ministry of Industry and
Trade in Jerusalem and attended by ministry representatives,
Rabbi Guterman and representatives from the companies
interested in taking part in the tender, ministry
representatives said the Investments Center would provide up
to NIS 1,000 ($220) per month toward every worker's salary
throughout the five-year period, amounting to NIS 60,000 per
worker and millions of shekels for the company. They
explained that the ministry would like to see several
companies win the tender in order to help solve Modi'in
Illit's unemployment problem.
Representatives of Israel's leading service companies,
including a well-known software firm that plans to open a
branch in the town in the near future, asked the Council Head
about the town's commercial centers and about possible
locations and the feasibility of setting up similar high-tech
centers in the town.
Rabbi Guterman provided detailed information about the town
and the large amount of commercial space under construction
in Kiryat Sefer and Achuzat Brachfeld, pledging that the
council would provide as much assistance as possible. In
response to inquiries during the meeting on the potential
workforce Rabbi Guterman told company representatives that he
was finalizing a plan with the Joint to distribute
questionnaires to residents aimed at estimating how many job
candidates could be found.
At the end of the meeting Rabbi Guterman invited all of the
company representatives interested in the tender to visit
Modi'in Illit in order to assess the viability of operating
in the town. Representatives from the Industry and Trade
Ministry said the keen interest in the town among the
country's major entrepreneurs assures them that following the
tender, employment levels will improve dramatically.
Government representatives thanked Rabbi Guterman, saying
that without his extensive efforts, Modi'in Illit would not
have been included in this tender.
The software company slated to hire women workers from the
town has held several meetings with the Council Head to
discuss the possibility of obtaining government assistance
provided to companies. Rabbi Guterman promised he would
personally watch over the projects and provide all possible
assistance, including employee training.
