MOoNA Matzpentech

Moona is a leader in ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ training and the promotion of social capital and diversity in technology. Their latest programme, Matzpentech (“Compass-tech”) is designed for young Bedouins in their late teens and early 20s to get a foothold in Israeli tech manufacturing. Matzpentech was initiated in 2024 by Moona together with AJEEC-NISPED, the leading NGO working for the advancement of the Bedouin society. Unemployment in the Bedouin community is over 13% compared to 3.7% in the country overall.

Together with AJEEC-NISPED, Moona saw the large number of Bedouin youth lacking the training and skills to qualify for Moona’s other engineering training programmes. They therefore sought to design a programme that better reflected the needs of this community to help them begin careers in advanced manufacturing. Matzpentech is specifically designed to prepare participants for entry-level positions (among others, as technicians and line or machine operators) in local manufacturing companies. The training includes English and Hebrew language courses, psychological support and personal guidance. Participants are also taken on field trips to see different parts of the country, volunteer and increase their sense of “belonging,” as Israelis.

The Bedouin community is by-and-large excluded from the tech industry (that includes advanced manufacturing) and Matzpentech will create more opportunity for inclusion.