IAF Technical School (Haifa)

 air force base, school, military, Israel Defense Forces (IDF), college of technology / polytechnics

In the forties the British mandatory authorities allocated funds for educational projects. Some of this money was used by the yishuv to open a vocational training school, which went on to become the “Techni”, the IAF's Technical School. Yehuda HaShimshoni, who arrived in Palestine in the thirties with an engineering degree in aircraft mechanics, decided to establish a gliding club in Haifa in the framework of the Haganah. He provided vocational aviation training for members of the club almost every evening. The members included Yosef Wexler, Ezer Weizman and Professor Zinger.

Towards the end of 1947 the club's committee decided that there was a need for a structured training course for aviation professionals and that the “Techni” school should be established to help in the establishment of an Air Force that would serve the coming state. Soon afterwards the decision was taken to open a ground engineers' course in Haifa. The base operates two schools: an aeronautical engineering school and a technical professional school. The schools include a number of tracks:

Shahak: A program for students who focused on technical subjects in high school. The Air Force provides funding for the students, who are obliged to serve in one of the force's technical units on graduation.

Sky Girls: A program which aims to help young women who graduated high school studying more theoretical subjects become qualified engineers.

Marom Technologi: A program for graduates of theoretical subjects to learn engineering.

Pre-Army Electronics Course: A pre-army course for graduates of theoretical subjects to acquire electronics skills.

Pre-Army Technical Course: A course for graduates of theoretical subjects to train in more practical technical skills prior to their induction.

Paamei Atidim: A two-part course in which outstanding students study to become qualified engineers.

Cadets: A technological school in which cadets study from age 15 to 19.


www.iaf.org.il/2570-30194-en/IAF.aspx