Each year, approximately 1,600 new PhD holders are qualified in Israel. They go out into the world armed with a certificate, a lot of new knowledge and usually with the desire to translate it into meaningful action. But many of them will find themselves embarrassed in front of the employment options before them
About two weeks ago, albeit in a slightly different format than usual under the auspices of the Corona virus, the Israeli Academy opened its doors again for a new year of higher studies. Even though this year the campuses won't immediately be filled with excited students running back and forth on the grass and in the corridors racking their brains trying to figure out where their class is, that doesn't mean they aren't there: the population in Israel continues to have one of the highest percentages in the world of those with a higher education, with about half of Israel's citizens being I have an academic degree.
The statistics show that many of the Israeli students are not satisfied with the first degree, nor with the second: although in recent years there has been a certain decrease in the number of applicants for bachelor's and master's degrees, the CBS data show that in the academic year 2018-19 (XNUMX) the number of students studying for a third degree It actually increased by 3.6 percent. In fact, from 1974 to the academic year 2018-19 (11,719), the percentage of those studying for a doctorate rose steadily every year - with 2018 doctoral students in XNUMX. Thus, Israel is also among the leaders in producing new doctors.
Our production system for advanced degree holders is thriving, but what awaits them after the journey to the degree? Each year, approximately 1,600 new PhD holders are qualified in Israel. They go out into the world armed with a certificate, a lot of new knowledge and usually with the desire to translate it into meaningful action. But many of them will find themselves embarrassed in front of the employment options before them. While the pinnacle of the ambitions of most doctoral program graduates is to integrate into academia, in Israel very few new standards are opened for lecturers. A study by the Program for the Repatriation of Academics, which examined the situation a few years ago, found that only About 7 percent of those with a doctorate in life sciences Win to achieve a standard in the Israeli Academy.
improve the quality of life
So what will all the other new doctors do? Some will seek a post-doctorate in Israel or abroad, some will even increase and try to be admitted to an academic standard abroad (a relatively difficult experience with Israeli higher education - usually only the most outstanding and ambitious will succeed in doing this, if their degrees were obtained only in Israel). Others will give up the dream of integrating into academia, and will look for work in the private market. The statistics show that very few of them will channel the rich knowledge they have gained during their years of study for the welfare of the public in Israel. Of all the OECD countries (as of 2013), Israel is the country with the lowest percentage of PhD holders employed in the public service.
And it seems that it doesn't just happen because they don't want to, but because Israel just doesn't really know how to offer it to them. "The public service not only does not know how to take in PhD holders - but it has a whole set of barriers that stop them from joining it today," says Dr. Amir Fink, a PhD graduate in archeology from Tel Aviv University and director Interface program In the Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences. "The system is such that it does not perceive academic experience as an advantage - but it does perceive practical experience in industry or in the field as such - and in fact it creates a buffer between this thing that we invest so much in and which brings us so many benefits in our daily lives - Israeli academia and science - and the public service" .
"The interface program was born, among other things, to support this need," adds Fink, "to help them integrate into the public service, and to help them direct the most of their resources to improve the quality of life in Israel." "Interface - application of science in government", is an applied postdoctoral program that allows graduates of doctoral programs to harness their skills for the benefit of improving the quality of life in Israel."
the program, that registration for her 11th cycle has opened these days, combines outstanding PhD holders as scientific advisors to key figures in the public service (executives at the level of VP and above). The program lasts for a year and as part of it the researchers work within the government to promote an informed and science-oriented decision-making process on diverse issues related to the environment and quality of life. In its nine cycles (and the tenth cycle that will begin next month), close to a hundred colleagues in various government ministries were integrated. As part of the program, the fellows contribute their extensive knowledge and also gain significant performance experience. As a result, about 50 percent of the program's graduates continued after the end of the interface year to a significant position in the public service.
No data is used
"The government's and policymakers' lack of reliance on science and data is more evident than ever these days, when we find ourselves locked in our homes for an extended period of time - this is the second time in six months," says Dr. Uri Sharon, a law lecturer at Bar Ilan University, who served as an interface fellow in the administration The planning is done alongside the director general of the administration - Dalit Zilber. "We all have to sacrifice basic things - like precious time that is lost with the grandparents, our livelihood, our freedom of movement. It is evident that as time passes, the confusion among the public increases, and their sense of distrust in the instructions placed on them from above is only increasing."
Already during the summer months, when the morbidity data began to rise again, the lack of real data and their non-reflection to the public caused many eyebrows to be raised. It is not impossible that these also constitute a significant part of the relative lack of compliance with the current closure. In the middle of July, for example, they were quoted the minister of Health and the Minister of Education With a difference of a few days in completely contradictory statements regarding the amount of infection in the education system - both supposedly based on real data. The problem was that between the data that "reached their hands" there is a gap of tens of percent. While the Minister of Health stated that the education system should be closed because a high percentage of infections occur there, the Minister of Education actually attributed a minimal percentage to the amount of infections occurring there and recommended that it be left open. "The lack of data was also reflected in discussions regarding gyms, restaurants, bars, cafes, pools and every sector of the Israeli economy," says Sharon.
"In every reformed country in the world there is a whole array of experts and researchers who collect information," he explains. "Who got infected, where did they get infected and how. This information is uploaded to a database, which produces real results on how the infection occurred. These results are analyzed to determine conduct. What can be opened, when, where, with how many people, etc. In a country like Israel, where there is an available amount of people who are qualified to analyze data at a high level, there is no reason for such a significant gap between the potential analysis capabilities and actual implementation. In part, this is a result of the underrepresentation of PhD holders in the public service. These people exist, and they can and should be used to formulate a science-based policy."
Of course, it is not enough to mobilize their abilities to collect data: it is also necessary to make sure that this data is used in order to make informed and correct decisions. Decisions that are not carried out in this way cause - as we all now feel in the flesh - a lack of public confidence in the decision makers. "If we look around," says Sharon, "it seems that the countries that managed to deal with the corona virus the best - the ones whose figures have been decreasing in recent months and the number of patients in them continue to be low - are also the countries that rank highest in the index of public trust in government. The interface program - and other similar programs - ensure that researchers and scientists can more easily integrate into the public service and help restore this trust, whether by improving the data set on which the government relies for its fateful decisions, or by improving their reflection to the public."
For more details and to register for the XNUMXth cycle of the interface program
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