ORT creates life altering opportunities worldwide, empowering people through education and vocational development. Its programs impart vital skills, enabling its 280,000 students in 58 countries to pursue fruitful careers and fulfilling lives. It maintains a non-sectarian, non-political position in its education and training provision. As one of the largest non-governmental organizations in the world, ORT is an international leader in educating for the future.
ORT was founded in St Petersburg in Tsarist Russia in 1880 to provide employable skills for Russia’s impoverished Jewish people. Since then, ORT has continually modernized and expanded its programs to respond to the changing needs of the global community. The skills taught by ORT have evolved in step with technology. Today, in place of manual skills and trades, ORT teaches its students about computers, telecommunications and their applications.
ORT builds schools, develops curricula, sets up laboratories, develops high-tech educational systems, produces hardware, software and courseware and other teaching aids and publications. It conducts its own educational research and acts as consultant to many other institutions, including government bodies. ORT co-operates with industry and is supported by an international membership in excess of a quarter of a million people.
ORT has consultative status for information and education purposes with UNESCO, and observer status at the ILO (International Labor Organization). ORT is a founding member of ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies).
The aim of ORT’s educational programs throughout the world is to give its students the best possible preparation for their future. This preparation includes education to help them become citizens who will make a positive contribution to their society, focused training to enable them to undertake worthwhile and fulfilling careers, and – for its Jewish students – the knowledge that will give them an understanding and appreciation of their heritage.