The Maui News

WAILUKU–Staff from the UH Maui College Molokai Education Center travel to Kalaupapa at least once a year to share programming with residents and offer application assistance. This year they traveled to Molokai to teach small engine repair.

“During these visits, we also gather input on what types of education programs they are interested in,” said UH Maui College, Molokai Coordinator Kelley Dudoit. “The employees expressed interest in a hands-on small engine repair course so they can learn how to fix the equipment they work with.”

And so, for three Wednesdays last month, a total of 15 Kalaupapa residents gathered with Construction Technology Program Lecturer Lloyd Inouye to learn how to do small engine repair.

There are so many benefits to the participants in addition to being able to fix their equipment. It upskills the workforce, reduces waste, saves funds by fixing existing equipment rather than buying new, participants learn skills that benefit their lives outside of work, it reduces delays in waiting for equipment to be fixed, and it maximizes productivity.

Rose Dudoit was one of the students in the instructional class.

“This is the best college class I’ve taken,” Dudoit said. “The teacher was awesome. Many of us learn better through hands-on learning as opposed to traditional classroom instruction.”

“We were thrilled to be able to offer this class to the workforce in Kalaupapa,” Kelley Dudoit said. “We realize that access to our programs may be difficult because residents spend most of their week in the settlement. It made sense to take the class to them. We’re grateful to the instructor, Lloyd Inouye, for his willingness to travel to the settlement to teach the course. We hope to be able to continue to strengthen our partnership and continue offering classes like these.”