From Hardship to High-Tech: Kiryat Gat Residents Find Success at Intel
Three Kiryat Gat residents overcame major personal and professional hurdles to secure advanced technical roles at Intel. Their success highlights an expanding regional training model aiming to integrate hundreds of locals into high-tech manufacturing.
Three residents from Kiryat Gat—Reuven, Yasmin, and Yaakov—overcame significant personal and professional obstacles to secure advanced technical positions at Intel's Kiryat Gat manufacturing facility, where they are now completing their practical engineering degrees.
Reuven arrived in Israel from the Soviet Union in 1992 without knowing Hebrew, eventually drifting into criminal circles after seeking fast money post-service. A sobering encounter with his parents made him break away, but old doors remained closed until he found a job as an external gym instructor at Intel. Today, he works in Intel's cleanroom and is weeks away from receiving his practical engineering degree.
Yasmin Cohen, a 43-year-old single mother from Kiryat Gat, juggled three jobs after her divorce to support her son. Viewing Intel as an unreachable pinnacle of corporate success, she initially doubted her qualifications before landing a technical role at the plant.
Similarly, Yaakov Lavi struggled with mathematics and physics during previous technical studies, convincing himself that the high-tech sector was not meant for him. After joining Intel as a production specialist, hands-on experience proved his capabilities, empowering him to return to his studies and complete his engineering certification.
Expanding the Ofek Darom Model
These individual success stories form the basis of a broader workforce initiative expanding across the southern region. Originating roughly eight years ago, Intel's "Ofek Darom" (Southern Horizon) model trained approximately 150 local residents for direct employment by combining real-world factory integration with on-the-job skill development.
The model is now scaling beyond Intel. A new partnership led by the Jewish Agency and the Chicago Jewish Community—alongside local stakeholders—aims to train about 300 residents from Kiryat Gat, Shafir, and Lachish over the next three years to meet regional manufacturing demands.
Technical Training and Regional Growth
Upcoming training programs will cover electricity, electronics, wiring, soldering, CNC operation, composite materials, and HVAC systems, bridging the gap between local industrial demand and motivated local talent.
Daniel Ben Attar, Intel corporate vice president, global manufacturing manager, and co-general manager of Intel Israel, emphasized the shift in recruitment philosophy. "Instead of focusing solely on resumes, we chose to focus on people's abilities and potential," he said. "Our challenge was to build a recruitment and training process without lowering the bar of excellence."
While discussions regarding the Negev's future often center on infrastructural relocations, this initiative prioritizes integrating current local residents into the advanced manufacturing sector unfolding around them.
