MAMRAM, an elite unit in the Israeli Army, trains tech talent, promotes equal opportunities for men and women in technology, and creates an alumni community that is connected to the tech ecosystem.
In a recent Wawiwa webinar, held on July 10, 2023, we went behind-the-scenes into the secret tech training hub of Israel – MAMRAM, an elite unit within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)!
MAMRAM has long been transforming bright young minds into high-tech wizards and cyber warriors, equipping them with the tech skills that are powering Israel’s thriving tech scene! But how do they do it?
We hosted three speakers who are veterans of MAMRAM:
- Yossi Melamed, the Chairman of the MAMRAM Alumni Association and CEO at Fast Lane Israel
- Eran Lasser, a former MAMRAM trainer and the CEO and Founder of Wawiwa Tech; and
- Ms. Leah Mansoor, another former MAMRAM trainer and now VP of Business Development at Wawiwa.
MAMRAM is the largest school in Israel for Software Developers, DevOps, Data Analysts, and other IT roles in the IDF, supporting various units and websites of the army. Participants in MAMRAM’s program gain real-world experience by working on actual production environments and developing real systems, starting at the age of 18.
Many of the Unicorn startups in Israel (worth over $1Bn), including CyberArk and Taboola, and other large companies such as Matrix, were founded by alumni of MAMRAM, highlighting the program’s success in producing top IT talent.
MAMRAM takes individuals fresh out of high school and transforms them into programmers, DevOps Engineers, and Cyber Warriors within a short span of six months, bypassing the traditional three-year computer science degree.
MAMRAM fosters a culture of teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving, all of which are essential qualities for success in the tech industry. The IDF also emphasizes the importance of allowing soldiers to try and fail, as it provides valuable learning opportunities and encourages growth, and this while having a deep understanding of system architecture and a production mindset – realizing that mistakes might impact a lot of people and have severe costs. MAMRAM program emphasizes quick learning, commitment, and hands-on experience for training tech talent, with soft skills being an essential component for any profession.
Yossi Melamed is the Chairman of the Alumni Association. Alumni are encouraged to keep connected, to embrace change, and to continue to evolve in the ever-changing tech industry. MAMRAM Alumni Association focuses on brand awareness, programs and support for entrepreneurs, and giving back to the IDF by providing mentorship and teaching methodologies for product development and engineering management. It also fosters a community of tech talent in Israel, supporting the graduates, and aiming to create a global alumni community connected to the Israeli tech ecosystem.
Leah Mansoor shared her personal experience as a female soldier and woman at MAMRAM. Leah mentions that women are thriving in MAMRAM with equal opportunities available for both men and women in technical professions, and that efforts are being made to increase the number of women in tech through education and representation. She highlighted her transition to the tech ecosystem and the underrepresentation of women in technology roles. According to Leah, Covid-19 has created flexible work arrangements and more opportunities for women in tech.
Eran Lasser has led a career of reskilling people around the world with no experience in tech to tech jobs in high demand. He mentioned that while MAMRAM, as an elite unit, selects a mere 1% of the population as soldiers, Wawiwa uses its JET Design methodology – whose roots were laid in MAMRAM – to train larger audiences in the commercial TVET market by offering reskilling and upskilling part-time programs for various tech professions and increasing graduates’ employability.
