Good Jobs Hawaiʻi provides free skills training for hundreds of residents

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges has enrolled nearly 600 residents for free employment training since the beginning of the year to get them on a career pathway.

Of those people, 165 are from the Good Jobs Hawai‘i workforce collaborative training initiative with 70% focused on healthcare opportunities.

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges, Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi and industry partners launched Good Jobs Hawaiʻi on Jan. 30, 2023.

For the last three months, the Good Jobs Hawai‘i coalition has traveled around the state to raise awareness among employers and create opportunities for future jobs. 

Through the initiative, the UH Community Colleges offer free skills training in high-demand industries: healthcare, technology, clean energy/skilled trades and creative services.

Employers from these industries work with the seven community colleges to identify positions that need to be filled.

“Employers in Hawaiʻi know they can no longer just be consumers of talent, they must become co-creators of talent,” said Keala Peters, Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi.

“Sector partners are committing time to work alongside their industry colleagues in Sector Partnerships. They are providing work-based learning in our schools, including offering paid internships, and putting real skin in the game to grow their own talent pipeline and connect Hawai‘i’s young people to good jobs and family-sustaining careers.”

Employers statewide are invited to join the Good Jobs Coalition by signing the Talent Pledge to support Good Jobs’ action steps to develop a skilled, local talent pipeline.

Additionally, industry partners in healthcare, technology, skilled trades/clean energy and creative industries are encouraged to join a Sector Partnership to help grow their industries’ talent pipeline. 

“Our goal is to equip residents with the knowledge and skills to access pathways to good jobs that allow them to thrive in Hawaiʻi,” said Daniel Doerger, the director of workforce innovation at the University of Hawai’i Community Colleges.

“We hope that high school graduates who are unsure about what higher education route to take will look into the opportunities offered by Good Jobs Hawaiʻi.”

Funding has come from a variety of federal workforce training grants, and Good Jobs Hawaiʻi is the umbrella initiative that makes it easier for students, employers and community members to understand and access opportunities.

By leveraging those various federal, state, county and philanthropic resources, the initiative covers the cost for training and other support for participants.

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges are adding new courses for the summer months with even more planned for fall. Interested participants can learn more at goodjobshawaii.org.