BRAMSON ORT NEWS

Amid much fanfare, including a proclamation by Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz, Bramson ORT College opened a large new extension center to attract more Charedi students, as well as serve its traditional base in the Russian Jewish and general communities.

“This new facility in Brooklyn reinforces Bramson’s link to the community by providing an immigrant generation's children with associate degrees and other qualifications in accounting, business management, computer information systems, electronics technology, medical assistant and office technology,” said Alan Klugman, Executive Director of ORT America, who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.

The impressive eight-story building in Bensonhurst ensures that Bramson ORT College can accommodate record student enrollment as well as provide space for future growth. Fully owned by Bramson ORT, the newly-constructed building features state-of-the-art classrooms, computer and medical laboratory facilities, and cutting edge technology, designed to prepare students to meet the demands of today's job market. The area is also host to many medical offices which may provide opportunities for internships for Bramson ORT students for whom work experience is an integral part of their vocational training.

"The location is perfect. We are now in the heart of the Brooklyn Jewish community, close to major transport hubs and to the commercial center where we can attract students," said Dr. Ephraim Buhks, Bramson ORT Director and Director of ORT Operations USA, which manages Bramson ORT, as well Los Angeles ORT College (LAOTI), Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute in Chicago and the Hermelin ORT Resource Center in Detroit. “Our enrollment is increasing - particularly in the health care services so we need more lab space,” added Dr. Buhks. "There will be a major need for medical professionals as the population ages, so we provide the appropriate training for thousands of graduates who enjoy a job placement rate of more than 85 per cent."

This year, Bramson ORT College started a new associate degree program for pharmacy technicians through which graduates can find well-paid employment in pharmacies. For those who continue their studies to become licensed pharmacists, credits from the two-year program can be transferred to the relevant five-year program.

Bramson ORT has had astonishing success in attracting Charedi students through its close collaboration with Chabad-Lubavitch. The College’s unique two-year vocational program, featuring mornings spent in traditional Yeshiva-style learning and afternoons immersed in secular studies, is seeing its enrollment increasing exponentially. Graduates of the program acquire an associate degree in business management and high school equivalency which enables them to pursue full degree courses or work in a wide range of fields, including computers, electronics, web design and health care.

"More than 10 percent of the student body is now Orthodox," said the head of Chabad's Jewish Technical Vocational School (JTVS), Rabbi Levi Kaplan, who spoke at the opening of the new building. "By reaching out to Chabad, ORT has bridged the gap with the Orthodox community. Now they come to the college and see Orthodox students in the building wearing a kippa and that really allows things to develop."

Dr Buhks added that Bramson ORT College wants to build on being a highly respected name in the Orthodox community by not only attracting more young men but also by providing programs tailored to meet the vocational and religious needs of Orthodox women.

The Chair of US ORT Operations, Roz Vermut, was also excited by the program's success. "I am sure it could serve as a model for working with Charedi communities in other countries as well as for our other colleges in this country," Ms Vermut said. "This is absolutely true to the ORT mission: we're giving our students the education and tools to equip them to go out to be productive members of the communities they live in."

Opening the new Branson ORT College building, From left: Dr Ephraim Buhks, Lynn Leeb, Bramson ORT CFO Lenny Schwartz, CFO, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Roz Vermut.