IDF Atidim launches first dedicated engineering track for haredi, minority students

The IDF's Atidim Directorate is breaking new ground by establishing its first dedicated engineering track for haredi and minority students. This initiative, operating through civilian and defense cooperation, aims to identify, guide, and support prospective recruits from Israel's periphery and special populations for academic and technological careers within the military.

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This is a step that opens up a world that until now was almost entirely closed to the haredi public, combining higher education in engineering and technology in a dedicated and adapted framework. They will subsequently join core technological units in Military Intelligence and throughout the IDF.

Under the Pa’amei Atidim program, dozens of haredi students and those from other minority communities will pursue a practical engineering diploma at Ariel University’s Practical Engineering College before their enlistment. Upon completion, they will integrate into leading technological units within the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate and continue their studies toward a full engineering degree during their military service.

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On Sunday, we marked the opening of the new track. First and foremost, this is your moment, as you begin a new path. It is also a major opportunity for everyone to take part in the IDF’s technological activity.

An authorized military official described the program as a significant step, opening up higher education in engineering and technology in a dedicated and adapted framework for the haredi public. "They will subsequently join core technological units in Military Intelligence and throughout the IDF," the official stated. This move underscores the IDF's need for talent from all societal backgrounds to bolster its technological prowess.

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Military Intelligence and the technological units need talented people from every part of Israeli society. This track gives you an entry point into the world of engineering and allows you to combine your studies with meaningful service at the heart of the IDF’s technological activity, while accommodating your way of life.

Lt.-Col. Peleg, head of the IDF’s Atidim Directorate, emphasized that intelligence and technological units require individuals with diverse thinking and backgrounds. "The more we succeed in bringing high-quality people from the broad mosaic of Israeli society into our ranks, the more we strengthen our professional capabilities as well," he said. "When suitable frameworks are created, and opportunities are opened, everyone benefits: you, we in the IDF, and the entire country."

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Intelligence and technological work depend on people who think differently, come from different backgrounds, and bring diverse perspectives with them. The more we succeed in bringing high-quality people from the broad mosaic of Israeli society into our ranks, the more we strengthen our professional capabilities as well. When suitable frameworks are created, and opportunities are opened, everyone benefits: you, we in the IDF, and the entire country.