First Cohort Of Wounded IDF Veterans With PTSD Completes Practical Electronics Engineers Training, Immediately Hired By IAI

Graduates (shown from behind for security reasons) with the program leadership: David Peretz, IAI; Yair Katz, Head of the IAI Employees Union; Boaz Levy, President and CEO of IAI; Raz Frohlich, CEO of the Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network; and Nir Reiss, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) of IAI.

Courtesy of Israel Sci-Tech Schools (ISTS).

Israel Sci-Tech Schools (ISTS) Rehovot College recently marked a significant milestone: the completion of the first cohort of a unique program training wounded IDF and security forces veterans—the majority of whom live with PTSD—as electronics engineers, in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Atidim.

18 graduates of the program—all wounded IDF and security forces veterans, the majority of whom also carry the invisible wounds of PTSD—completed a 17-month professional training course and will now join the workforce at Israel Aerospace Industries. Their academic achievements rank among the highest recorded at the college in recent years.

The program was born out of a deep understanding shared by ISTS Rehovot College, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Atidim: there is a moral obligation to offer a new path forward in life to those who gave everything for their country.

What began as an employment initiative became, for the staff who accompanied the students, an undertaking rooted in giving, mutual responsibility, and care. Behind every student in the class was a story of heroism, profound loss, and the invisible, ongoing struggle of living with PTSD. The college quickly understood that this was a unique class, requiring extraordinary investment and sensitivity.

Beyond its employment dimension, the coursework served as a critical pillar in each student’s personal rehabilitation. Israel Aerospace Industries, in turn, gained skilled, high-quality personnel, while the graduates gained a genuine opportunity to build a stable professional future.

Following the tremendous success of the first cohort, ISTS Rehovot College has begun recruiting a second cohort in the same format. Those involved see this as proof that combining social sensitivity with technological excellence is the key to genuine rehabilitation and national growth.

“At Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network, we believe that education is the driving force leading the society of tomorrow. This means not only imparting knowledge and skills, but enabling every individual to build their own future, rehabilitate, develop, and find their place in Israeli society,” said Raz Frohlich, CEO of Israel Sci-Tech Schools Network. “This program perfectly embodies our vision: bridging advanced technological education, social responsibility, and a deep belief in the human capacity to grow even out of crisis. The students who took part in it chose to press forward, acquire a profession, and build their future. In doing so, they are not only changing their own life stories—but they are also partners in building tomorrow’s society.” n