The four winning companies will form partnerships with Israeli companies to operate the employment centers.
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Industry Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert today signed contracts in Ashkelon with the four companies that won the tender to operate employment centers, under the " Wisconsin program (also known as welfare-to-work). The plan is designed to integrate income support recipients into the labor force. With the signing of the contracts, the companies will set up employment centers, which are scheduled to begin operating in July.
Eight companies participating in the international tender. The four winning companies will form partnerships with Israeli companies to operate the employment centers.
- US company Maximus (NYSE:MMS) will form a partnership with ORS Overseas Representation Services Ltd. to operate an employment center in the Askelon-Sderot area.
- British company A4E will form a partnership with Aman - Organization and Management Sciences Consultants Ltd. to operate an employment center in Jerusalem.
- Dutch company Calder will form a partnership with Mertens - Hoffman to operate an employment center in Nazareth and Upper Nazareth.
- Dutch company Agnes will form a partnership with an Israeli company to operate an employment center in the Hadera, Pardes Hanna, Karkur, Arara. Or Akiva, Kfar Kara, and Baqa al-Gharbiye area.
The program's target population are income support recipients, estimated at over 150,000 households. The number of income support recipients has been growing by an average of 12% a year over the past decade, while the population growth rate has been 2% a year.
Olmert said the average time a family received income support has lengthened during this period to 45 months, from 21 months in 1991.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on February 1, 2005