JCE’s Pre-College Preparatory Program (known in Hebrew as Mechina) is a one-year program which prepares students for undergraduate studies in engineering. The concept of Mechina is well-known in Israel, and these types of programs have been around for about 40 years. All preparatory programs in Israel are academically overseen by the Ministry of Education and given economic aid by the Ministry of Defense, which helps released soldiers integrate into Mechinot. There are two different types of Mechina programs: a matriculation track that prepares students for matriculation exams and a track that focuses on a particular faculty, such as humanities, social sciences, exact sciences or engineering.
JCE’s Pre-College Preparatory Program prepares students to study engineering in College. Most students are in need of improving their grades or completing their matriculation exams in order to be accepted to any of JCE’s departments, and by the end of the year, their Mechina certificate and grades become the new criteria for acceptance. For students who have not been in an academic setting for a while, the Mechina can provide the opportunity to get back into the mindset of studying, helping strengthen student’s knowledge in subjects that provide the basis for their future studies, such as math, physics, academic writing, English and computer training. Students who are looking for this mindset, but have been accepted to JCE and have good grades, also have the option of taking a preparatory summer course before their first academic year begins.
There are currently 75 students in JCE’s Mechina, most of who come from Jerusalem. The majority of these students strive to study engineering at JCE upon completion of the program, and the vast majority of them do. Many of JCE’s Mechina students come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and as part of JCE’s social agenda, JCE makes sure that they receive financial aid.
