The project provides high school students with the opportunity to study various computer related fields together with an enriched communal program.

Yael Raich, the Jewish Agency area manager for the Carmiel-Misgav, region announced that 33 Carmiel area students successfully completed a unique course of computer science studies and communal enhancement known as "Project Neta". Carmiel is one of eight municipalities participating in the project's first year of operation. Currently undergoing the tough selection and admissions process is an additional group of 9th grade students, who will begin the program this coming September. The Carmiel group, according to Raich, achieved high honors and is considered the leading project team in the nation.

Project Neta, a three-year program beginning in the 9th grade, grants its graduates a combined computer technician and network management diploma from Cisco, the major internationally known network communications corporation. This diploma provides the student, upon graduation, the capability to serve in this profession in the army and later join the civilian labor force in a hi-tech field. An additional objective of the project is to strengthen the student's self-esteem and the community through the establishment of a local and national level "dream team". As part of the project, the students are expected to contribute their time and knowledge to the community. The participating students must meet stringent academic standards, particularly in English, the language of the course.

Project Neta began in 2004 in eight outlying cities throughout Israel with some 400 students participating in the project. The initiative is co-sponsored by Cisco, which provides curriculum and course management, the "Tapuach" Society grants technical support and physical infrastructure, the UJA, raises project funding, and the Jewish Agency is responsible for the program's substance and development, communal involvement and the implementation, and a constructive evaluation that accompanies the project throughout the year.

  Tamuz 5764 - July 2004