Education – A strong belief in the need for Israel to develop and maintain a thriving manufacturing sector requires that the younger generation be provided with a quality education for industry. Specialized study programs have been developed by teams of professionals in the Open Museums’ education departments in the Industrial Parks to engage children of all ages with the concepts of industry and art and in the synergy between production and creativity.
Programs are tailored to the needs of individual groups to provide maximum, direct exposure to entrepreneurship, creativity and technology. Industrial training for work in advanced manufacturing companies and industrial entrepreneurship courses are run from the Zur Lavon Training Centre, alongside which the Zur-Lavon Industrial High School educates the next generation of manufacturing professionals.
Residential Environment – The quality of life provided in well-planned, desirable residential areas is a key factor in the synergy that drives the Tefen Model. The development of residential communities offering a high quality of family life such as Kfar Vradim and Lavon, in the vicinity of the Industrial Parks has attracted many business people and professionals to establish their homes and livelihoods in Israel’s peripheral regions. By providing a desirable alternative to urban life, the Model encourages not only an investment in local industry, but in the social and cultural development of the region. Local residents are partners in a shared endeavor, whereby they produce high-quality products in a place in which they love to live and work.
Culture – The Open Museums established in the Tefen, Tel Hai and Omer Industrial Parks offer a rich variety of cultural programs and activities; temporary exhibitions of contemporary Israeli art, beautifully landscaped sculpture gardens and musical and theatrical events for all the family. The Open Museums attract numerous visitors to become acquainted with the Tefen Model, while serving to inspire and enrich the work atmosphere of the resident companies.
Coexistence – All of the Industrial Parks are located in regions with a large proportion of non-Jewish residents. On a local scale, the Industrial Parks seeks to strike roots in all of the surrounding communities. The Tefen Model adopts a pro-active approach by creating, and not merely advocating, equal opportunities.
Non-Jewish populations are targeted for recruitment for professional training and employment in local industry. Working and studying together in industry provides a rare opportunity for positive interaction and for establishing contacts on an equal basis, among all of the region’s inhabitants, regardless of religion. Arab-speaking instructors work with local school children to ensure that significant ties are formed with all of the communities local to the Industrial Parks. This strong belief in the ability of the industry to implant the values of coexistence and equal opportunities drove the initiative to establish the first Industrial Park in an Arab city, with the opening of the Nazareth Industrial Park in 2013.