Unemployment - Unemployment benefit to participants in vocational training

The Department for Manpower Training and Development of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor offers vocational training and retraining courses in a wide range of occupations.

The Employment Service refers unskilled workers and workers with skills not in demand to these courses, in order that they may acquire a new profession and increase their occupational potential.

An unemployed person participating in a vocational training course is paid an unemployment benefit at a rate of 70% of the benefit to which he would have been entitled had he not been in vocational training, from which the payments given to him in the course are deducted. Under an amendment in force as of January 1, 2009, certain types of vocational training courses are defined in which the full unemployment benefit will be paid.

A person entitled to unemployment benefit who participates in vocational training is entitled to unemployment benefit in the period of his training for a period of not more than the number of maximum unemployment days to which he is entitled.

A person entitled to unemployment benefit who participates in vocational training, and who has under 12 years of schooling, is entitled to unemployment benefit in the period of his training also for a period longer than the number of maximum unemployment days to which he is entitled, but for no longer than 138 days.