JCT aims to build largest college campus in Israel for religious women

The Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) received its excavation permit on Sunday to build the new Tal Campus, which will be dedicated to empowering religious women to get jobs by expanding their education and career opportunities.

“JCT is the leading Israeli institution of higher education providing academic training for religious women,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said after his municipality granted the college its permit last week.

Spanning an impressive 3.5 acres, the Tal Campus is projected to cost $120 million, with $70 million already raised by JCT. The campus will house several key facilities, including the Beren Center for Engineering, the Helmsley Center of Life and Health Sciences, the Friedman Center for Business and Management Studies, and the Tessler-Glina Cafeteria. 

On-campus housing and multiple outdoor spaces, including a beautifully landscaped garden, are also planned. The college expects construction to commence within the next six months.

The new campus will serve as a home for approximately 3,000 students, offering expanded opportunities for religious women to pursue higher education and secure employment in a variety of sectors. 

Tal Campus hopes to help haredi women join male-dominated fields

By providing access to cutting-edge resources and state-of-the-art facilities, the Tal Campus aims to give women the tools to excel in traditionally male-dominated fields.

National statistics indicate 34% of women in tech-related fields. In contrast, at JCT 53% of computer science students are women out of 534 students. 

Lion explained that women from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community have already found “JCT’s Tal Campus the perfect address for acquiring academic training.”

A JCT degree will help religious women integrate into the city's labor market in high-income professions, Lion said, adding that he hoped the new campus would being young women from all over the country to Jerusalem thereby strengthening the city as the capital of Israel, “both socially and economically.”

“The construction of this new campus is an important milestone in our efforts to integrate women in the fields of science and health," said JCT President Prof. Chaim Sukenik. 

He also emphasized the importance of the Tal Campus in promoting women's participation in the fields of science, health, management, and engineering. 

JCT explained that over 90% of its alumni find employment in their respective fields within a year of graduation. Graduates have secured positions in renowned companies such as Intel, Google, Microsoft, Amdocs, Rafael, Elbit, Check Point, Texas Instruments, and IBM.

Uriel Ben-Nun, JCT's Deputy-CEO for Infrastructure, said he was grateful to Lion for his support and for his visit last week to their campus.

"I thank Mayor Moshe Lion… the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the Municipality of Jerusalem, and the Jerusalem Development Authority for their work promoting this project. We could not succeed without these critical partners,” Ben-Nun said.