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For the first time in the history of vocational training institutes, Lomda Institute, the haredi vocational training institute in Jerusalem, has launched a laboratory service for fixing computers and mobile cellphone devices.

“The recently opened lab is a terrific, revolutionary development for students of the course,” explain the directors of Lomda. “It was an idea whose time had come after we realized that most of our graduates, as talented and excellent as they are, weren’t being hired by the existing service laboratories because they were lacking one link in the chain of their training: practical experience. ”

“Graduates who had successfully completed their final project were faced with two options: either to convince a potential employer to hire them and let them learn on the job, or to open a private lab on their own, which requires a large investment that not everyone is capable of making.”

Because Lomda Institute also provides guidance and job placement assistance in addition to knowledge and professional skills, it decided to take on the challenge. After months of preparation, it opened a laboratory service to repair computers and mobile devices. Although no public body ever established a training laboratory before, Lomda Institute with several visionaries who realized its necessity, jumped into the fray, and launched it as a private initiative.

Director of Lomda’s curriculum department Rabbi Michael Winnett says that the lab is equipped with the latest advanced tools and equipment, and its services include testing and repairs for new PC, laptop and cell phone technologies of all kinds. All work is done under the guidance of the laboratory director, who has many years of experience and a professional track record.

Each malfunctioning device that is brought to the lab will undergo a “technical analysis” by Lomda course graduates who will diagnose the problem and give their opinion concerning the best and most effective method to fix it. The actual repairs will be done under the inspection and direct responsibility of the laboratory director.

Lomda’s technical courses, which are taught by the top teachers in their fields, include cellular technology; laptop and tablet technology; and PC and network technology. Lomda Institute is the only one in the haredi sector that teaches a wide range of courses in all these areas of technology. Students who are studying the computer and network maintenance track take Microsoft’s international certification exams, and also receive a diploma from the Ministry of Economy.

Each graduate will experience 4 to 6 months of practical experience in the new laboratory. After their internship, their way to the labor market is assured.

The laboratory and its director provide students not only with professional and technical skills, but also experience in communicating with clients, inculcating a service-oriented mentality, guidelines for pricing their work, conflict resolution, self-confidence, effective management of time and schedule, debt collection and more.

Besides the benefit for the students, the laboratory will offer the public a chance to repair their devices at a discount. The reduced price does not mean inferior service, since all the testing and repairs will be done under the supervision and control of the laboratory director. The laboratory a win-win situation in which Lomda’s graduates and the community both stand to gain.

To maximize the experience and the options available with advanced technological equipment, and to gain as wide experience as possible in real-time with a large selection of firms and models, Lomda has entered into agreements with various entities to ensure a constant supply of malfunctioning devices for the repair lab. Nevertheless, the public is also invited to benefit from the laboratory’s professional services. (The lab is located at the back of Lomda Institute on Strauss Street in Geula, and its entrance is easily accessible.)

The Director of Lomda Institute, says that “with the establishment of the laboratory, Lomda’s cellphone technology course serves as the perfect incubator to provide theoretical study with practical experience all under one roof, which will catapult the students to a guaranteed and rapid entrance to their desired labor market.”