Beyond Closures, into Computer Science

 

            They hail from what was once the land of olives, but it’s the halls of technology which now beckon Palestinian youth.  

            

    The packed room of beaming graduates was full of clamor; not only from finishing three weeks of training in Microsoft Windows, but from newfound hope of landing steady work.   The participants, ranging from ages 22-28, were already proven academic successes, all possessing bachelor’s degrees in fields unrelated to technology.  Yet, in an economy crippled by military occupation, diplomas rarely equate to more than a framed token.   While the graduates refuse to be deterred by checkpoints, the prospect of a chronic job search is enough to haunt anyone.  Lacking the luxury to seek opportunity abroad, they tackled the course’s new material in hopes of becoming more employable.  They know full well the common plight of workers in an over saturated job market. 

 

            The misfortune of the educated, but unemployed youth may seem senseless.  Local heritage once assumed sons and daughters would adopt their parent’s livelihoods, often in the olive groves.  Surely, youth would not defy tradition unless there was something at stake; take for one, the promise of upward mobility.  This belief though, is far from proven if listening to the collective stories of students enrolled in MA’AN Development Center’s computer training course.   Granted, the march to modernity has compelled many rural youth to pursue higher education.  A training course of this like could not be found in Salfeet 15 years ago.  Yet, flight from the countryside to urban fancy is less out of choice than it may seem.  Massive seizures of Palestinian land by the Israeli government has sent the Palestinian agricultural sector reeling.  Herein lies the impasse for emerging workforces.  The alternative to struggle in the family village is a dismal job forecast in the city.     

 

            Computer courses are no longer for the select few with IT ambitions.   They’re now seen as key to potential job security.   A number of students currently in university

even challenged eligibility criteria.  Although the course was only offered to graduates unable to find work, these applicants know they’ll soon be out of the classroom and into the crowd of Educated & Idle.  Those who were chosen for the three week training took full advantage.  Stellar attendance betrayed great commitment to gaining a new skill set.  Regrettably, the chase for a career built from BA’s, from their passions, is often a dead end with such limited employment opportunity.   It appears their granite will may ultimately end their job searches.   Only resolve can keep a classroom filled with participants faced with three hours of daily travel.  None of them left without first asking for additional computer trainings, fully aware that Technology’s sprawl will not succumb to military occupation.   Furthermore, these 19 graduates will be among the many to ensure Advancement is here to stay