Financial Education Program
The College of Management – Academic Studies (COMAS) has launched a program to promote financial education in Israel. The program's goal is to place the importance of financial education of the general public on the agenda, due to the vacuum that has emerged in the public's knowledge and comprehension in the field of financial consumerism. The program is headed by Mr. Gil Greshler, a senior lecturer at COMAS' School of Economics.
The program is designed for several target sectors, and focuses on the issue of individual and family economics. The courses provide important tools and know-how that is essential for astute and prudent economic conduct, and educates participants to be public opinion leaders in the field. The knowledge they acquire in the program will enable them to serve as lecturers in this field in the future. The program also includes training for academics and industrialists, collaborations with other public and business organizations aimed at promoting financial education, conferences, events and more.
Within this framework, the College of Management - Academic Studies (COMAS) provides academic support and backing to the Financial Education lobby in the Knesset (The Israeli Parliament). The vision of the Financial Education lobby focuses on various life phases in which the state comes in contact with its citizens: in school, in teaching the importance of money and basic concepts in the capital market, in banking, in the army as an educating organization, in university, in financial courses for young couples, pensioners and more. Each phase has its economic considerations and significance – managing a bank account, savings, choosing a suitable financial track, how to buy an apartment, how to manage a business and more. Most citizens are not familiar with all their rights, as well as the tools at their disposal. The state's role is to provide them with this know-how. This is also in the state's benefit, as it may prevent them from becoming a burden on the state and helps them to function as economically secure and strong households. The lobby's role is to conduct a dialog dealing with the government's activities in each one of these fields, and if necessary to pass suitable complementary legislation so as to position the state of Israel in line with developed countries that provide their citizens with financial education.
Pension Insurance
This course shines a spotlight on the field of pension and investment planning consultancy which has been growing following the Bachar reforms in the Israeli capital market. The course provides students with academic and applicative tools that will enable them to enter this new field of long-term savings. Whether employed by banks, insurance companies or investment firms, acting as a pension investment advisor requires a license as a Pension Consultant or Pension Advisor. The course first reviews the pension insurance market, including processes and trends in this market, and then introduces students to the legislation in this field.
The course emphasizes topics such as budgetary pension, cumulative pension (old and new), provident funds and life insurance plans that have been recognized as pension products. The course makes use of tools from the field of insurance, actuary, financing and taxation. Participation in the course as part of academic studies may grant an exemption from the Insurance exam required in order to receive a Pension Consultant license, subject to the regulations of the Ministry of Finance.
Management and Assimilation of Organizational Systems (SAP-ERP)
The specialization in organizational IT systems is designed to teach students the business approach that is behind adopting, implementing and assimilating ERP systems that enable planning and management of the organization's resources.
As part of this specialization, students learn the principles of using IT systems to manage the various departments in an organization, and integration between them using an ERP-SAP (my SAP Business Suite). Students study business processes and activities in the fields of finance, logistics and human resources, and as they study they come to understand how various organizational functions are integrated into one system.