20 September 2005 Bramson ORT College in New York has been given official approval to teach the whole of its business management degree programme over the Internet. Until now, the New York education authorities had insisted that no more than half of the two-year degree be taught over the Internet. The decision means that needy students can now gain access to Federal funds to help cover tuition fees at the College, which has been a pioneer among Jewish educational institutions in its use of distance learning techniques such as the Internet and video conferencing. Dr Ephraim Buhks, the Director of ORT Operations USA the programmatic arms of its sponsoring organisations American ORT and Womens American ORT said he was delighted that the six-month-long bid for approval had been successful. Bramson ORT serves many students from low income backgrounds so this will help a great deal, Dr Buhks said. This programme will be of particular interest to the Orthodox community because it means we will be able to offer them an Associate Degree without their having to attend mixed sex classes. Bramson ORT students come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Bramson ORT College offers a range of Associate Degree programmes, including accounting, office technology, computer information technology and electronics. In the USA, Associate Degrees have become a required achievement for many people applying for government jobs high school diplomas are often just not sufficient, Dr Buhks said. I decided to seek approval for the business management course because is has a general appeal to our students in America and it is also highly regarded abroad. Currently, Bramson ORT College serves more than 500 students on campus and another 100 on-line. Now, Dr Buhks said, preparations were underway to market the on-line business management degree across America and overseas. It would be my wish that we can serve ORT students around the world, Dr Buhks said. In addition to Bramson ORT College, ORT Operations USA administers technical institutes in Los Angeles and Chicago, three ORT Computer Centres in Miami, Atlanta and Chicago and the David B. Hermelin ORT Resource Centre in Detroit.