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The Maui News
The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement has pivoted its Hawaiian Trades Academy to focus on workforce development and is launching a program to train Maui residents, including those who lost jobs due to the Aug. 8 fires.
The Maui Workforce Development Program will provide free certification and job training courses to Maui residents beginning Sept. 15, according to a news release Wednesday. In-person instruction will be held at a new classroom space near the organization's Kako'o Maui Resource Hub at Maui Mall Village in Kahului.
"We need to make sure that our Maui residents and Maui-based companies, are front and center when these job opportunities become available," said Kuhio Lewis, CEO of CNHA. "Our classes will help to ensure that they are prepared to take on that task. These workforce development courses will provide opportunities for individuals who have lost their jobs as a result of the fires. We want to help empower the Maui community to move forward together."
Maui residents interested in classes can sign up at HawaiianCouncil.org/MauiWorkforce. The following courses will be offered starting Sept.15 and will be delivered in a phased format:
• OSHA-10 Construction Certification (10-hour program): Designed to train workers in the basics of occupational safety and health.
• OSHA-30 Construction Certification (30-hour program): Designed for anyone in the construction industry, specifically to meet the requirement for safety directors, forepersons and field supervisors.
• HAZMAT: Awareness-level course for individuals who may be handling, responding to or exposed to hazardous materials at work or home.
• HAZWOPER-24 Certification (24-hour program): Designed for workers who spend limited time at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites, or will not be exposed to dangerous levels of hazardous substances in their line of work.
• HAZWOPER-40 Certification (40-hour program): Designed for most workers who are new to operations involving hazardous waste or emergency response actions. Covers a wide range of safety and health topics relevant to hazardous waste operations.
"We are also looking for local companies who want to provide training for their employees. We can help facilitate group training classes for them," said Lewis.
The following courses will be launched at a later date: commercial driver license A (six-week program); CDL HAZMAT endorsement (two-day program); forklift safety training (eight-hour course); and carpentry (12-week program).
For more information on CNHA's Maui Workforce Development Programs, see HawaiianCouncil.org or contact Hawaiian Trades Academy Program Manager Kane Lindsey at (808) 204-2726 or kane@hawaiiancouncil.org.