Trending
The Maui News
A $35-million statewide workforce development initiative launched on Monday with the goal of offering free skills training and job placement for up to 3,000 local residents.
More than 70 employers from the high-demand industries of health care, technology, clean energy/skilled trades and creative industries are working with the University of Hawaii Community Colleges, which includes UH-Maui College, to identify needed positions and provide free skills training in these areas.
The program, Good Jobs Hawaii, is building on Oahu Back to Work and Hana Career Pathways, the UH Community Colleges workforce programs that have provided free skills training for more than 4,000 local residents since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a UH news release Monday.
"Good Jobs Hawaii will equip people with the skills they need to get good jobs -- jobs that provide economic stability, economic mobility, and a sense of purpose and respect," said Keala Peters, Chamber of Commerce executive vice president, education and workforce development. "With the current labor shortage, employers are coming to the table to accelerate efforts to build equitable pathways to quality jobs for residents."
Funding for the program comes from multiple federal, state, county and philanthropic resources, including $16.4 million over the next three years from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Good Jobs program will also support the training and wraparound support costs for participants and leverage various federal and state programs.
Ohana Pacific Health Chief Executive Officer Wesley Lo said that workforce development efforts have helped provide essential workers for their skilled nursing facilities.
"With the recent earn and learn glidepath for CNAs to become LPNs, our nurses can continue to work while in school, enabling them to provide for their families while advancing their career to earn a living wage," said Lo, also a longtime Maui health care official. "We're grateful for this collaboration and the Good Jobs initiative that supports employers by directly addressing staffing."
Informational sessions for participants and employer partners in the Good Jobs program are planned for February and March.
Interested participants can apply at goodjobshawaii.org. Employers statewide can join the Good Jobs coalition by signing a Talent Action Pledge online as a first step.