Testimony of Dr. Clyde M. Sakamoto, Chancellor, Maui Community College February 18, 2004
Thank you for the opportunity to address the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.
The Rural Development Project was initiated by support from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Secretary Pilot and Demonstration funding. This category of resources has permitted Maui Community College (MCC) to explore and examine the development of a labor force in rural Hawaii through strengthening the local higher education infrastructure and its partnerships with the private, public and nonprofit sectors. To leverage these invaluable resources, MCC created partnerships with Hawaii and Kauai Community Colleges in two other rural counties in the state.
Maui (including the islands of Molokai and Lanai), Hawaii, and Kauai counties have, therefore, initiated projects to address the development of a workforce in the rural communities of the state. The range of projects continues to respond to remote communities isolated by major bodies ocean from the economic center of the state in Honolulu on Oahu. More recently, projects have also begun in rural communities on Oahu. The projects require and have benefited from flexibility in developing and supporting rural economic and career options.
Rural Development Project / Rural Job Training Initiative
Program Summary
The Hawaii Rural Development Project began in 1997 with a grant to assist with the transition of agricultural workers on Lanai into the hotel and resort industry. The discretionary funding for this pilot and demonstration project was released by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor. The project has increased in scope to serve all of rural Hawaii.
The University of Hawaii is the recipient of this grant. Implementation is supported through the University’s rural community colleges, which have infrastructure for education and training on each of the islands. This project has components located on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu. Advisory committees in collaboration with the respective community colleges from each of the islands help guide the decision making process for the use of these funds.
The core goal of the project is to provide technically up-to-date infrastructure and to develop and implement programs that are designed to help residents of Hawaii’s rural communities, the unemployed / underemployed and also the hardest-to-employ welfare recipients acquire skills, work experience and resources necessary to find and keep jobs. Opportunities to train for new and persistent position vacancies will also be considered.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of this pilot and demonstration project will focus on clients identified, employers enlisted, training and education provided, placements made, new business (entrepreneurs) start-ups, resources from other sources that are leveraged, and infrastructure created that will outlast the life of the federal funds for this grant.
Critical workforce shortage areas are being addressed. Programs in progress include nurse training, healthcare worker training, teacher training and preparation, principal/vice principal and DOE administrator recruitment and retention, educational assistant training, dental assistant training, custodian training, dental services for low income and underserved populations, leadership training, small business support, computer literacy, farm management training as well as a variety of community education and workforce development initiatives throughout the state.
Diversification of the economy and training the workforce to accommodate emerging industries are necessary for Hawaii to develop alternatives to the visitor industry as an economic base. The grant allows for the development of new initiatives to support such diversification. It will also support the continuation of successful existing training services. Demand and shortage areas targeted by the Community College component will include training in the following sectors: Technology, health care, diversified and specialty agriculture, entrepreneurial development, and biotechnology.
A number of programs will focus on very specific needs. Kauai Community College will provide specialized training in network hardware and software, hazardous waste management, electronics, and supervisory and management skills required by the Pacific Missile Range Facility. Specialty training will be provided by Maui Community College for emergency medical personnel serving remote communities that will enhance the level of available service using a combination of telemedicine and conventional healthcare practices. Unexploded Ordnance Certification training has been provided to Hawaii residents to allow for employment and participation in the ordnance removal program on the island of Kahoolawe. Workforce shortages in the community health care sector will be addressed by developing a training program for community worker case managers. Skilled worker shortages in the metal trades will be alleviated by the new machine shop program at Hawaii Community College in Hilo.
Need For Diversification
Clearly there is a need to diversify Hawaii’s economy and reduce the dependence on tourism and big agriculture. Over the past decade, there have been successful efforts by the University, state government, and private industry to promote economic diversity and expand into a wide range of areas including diversified agriculture, technology, aquaculture, biotech, medicine, and education.
The Rural Development Project reinforces this effort to diversify and provides a comprehensive program to address workforce training and economic development needs in rural Hawaii. The program utilizes existing University and Community College faculty, programs, labs, equipment and other infrastructure to deliver services identified to increase employment and enhance the economic vitality of rural Hawaii communities.
Community College and University Component
The Community College component is designed to take a local approach to address workforce and economic development needs on each of Hawaii’s Neighbor Islands. Each island has a community advisory committee that works closely with the island project director. This component addresses the following identified needs: Economic diversification, leadership development, small business support and development, diversified agriculture training, computer literacy and specialty training, just-in-time training and workforce shortage skills identification and training, and teacher and nurse shortage training programs. Additionally, several community colleges are considering moving in the direction of offering bachelor’s degrees to support a high tech-based economic diversification fueled by State and County priorities.
Oahu Rural Development
“Violence, drugs, gangs, vandalism, and other forms of crime are facets of deeper underlying problems within rural Oahu communities. Economics, the breakdown of families, and other community issues contribute to these problems. The Oahu Rural Development Project focuses its efforts on providing leadership development and occupational skills training for low-income and socially disenfranchised youth and adults. This program is community-based, culturally sensitive, and designed to facilitate the reintegration of these youths and adults into mainstream society.
Pacific Missile Range Facility Targeted Training Information Technology offers some of the greatest opportunities in Hawaii. Without the need for transportation costs, Hawaii is well situated to establish design and software development companies and teams due to the great broadband connections and the high quality workforce” (Source: HighTechHawaii). The Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands on Kauai and its sub-contractors employ over 650 individuals involved in high-tech. There is a need to provide specialty high-tech training to match employer needs on Kauai with locally trained employees. This training will improve retention rates for existing employees and alleviate the need for PMRF and its contractors to recruit from the mainland.
Community Worker Case Manager Training
Community Health Centers and Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems depend heavily on community outreach workers and case managers. Such workers play a large and irreplaceable role in helping medically underserved people overcome cultural, linguistic, bureaucratic and economic barriers to health care. Because they usually understand and come from the community served, they are often more effective than other more expensive health care professionals-such as physicians, nurses, social workers and public health specialists-in educating clients, making effective referrals, ensuring "compliance", and identifying contingent issues (such as domestic violence or drug use) that affect health. Community workers are also highly cost-effective, with salaries substantially lower than masters- or doctorate-level providers.
Yet most training for community workers is ad hoc and piece meal. Unlike health professions, this complex and challenging work has little in the way of structured curricula or training programs that can help agencies prepare individuals to be community case managers. Considerable case management expertise does reside in the health centers, but mostly through an informal network of mentors and in-service training. The demanding nature of community case management certainly warrants a more systematic and conscious approach to training.
In addition, Hawaii Community Health Centers and Native Hawaiian Health Care Systems anticipate a significant increase in the demand for community case managers over the next few years. Oral health, elderly care, mental health, and chronic disease management are all areas slated for significant expansion, by federal and state governments, and all four areas will require community-based case management to ensure appropriate and cost-effective care.
Mauna Kea Science Reserve Specialty Training
Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii is home to the most powerful collection of astronomical observatories on the surface of the earth. The summit offers an exceptional platform for astronomy. In the past three decades the Mauna Kea Science Reserve has evolved into the world's premier astronomy complex. Mauna Kea's observatories are known worldwide for their advanced technologies, excellent viewing environment, and the discoveries that have been made with these facilities. The development of this complex has not come without its costs. The roadway that was installed for the testing and construction of the first telescopes has opened the mountain to all. Physical development, foot and vehicular traffic, and the byproducts of man's use of the mountain have all left temporary and permanent impacts on the mountain.
The responsibility of managing an area as broad and as remote as Mauna Kea must take into account the types of people who regularly access its summit. Scientists, technicians and support staff attached to the observatories; visitors (both local and tourists); hunters, hikers, skiers and other recreational users; Hawaiian cultural practitioners; media crews; and commercial tour operators are some of the primary users of the mountain. There is a need to provide specialty training to field ranger/guides who will be responsible for the safety of users and visitors and see that the policies of the Science Reserve are followed.
The large astronomy community on Mauna Kea requires significant local support services. One of the key support industries is the metal trades/machine shop sector. Custom parts, repairs, and other services supplied by the metal trades are in demand. There are more than 138 businesses involved in the metal trades and machine shop industry on the island of Hawaii. Often, these businesses have to recruit their workforce from the mainland or other islands as there is no formal training program offered on island. Hawaii Community College is now offering formal training in the metal trades and machine shop sector. Offering on-island training in the metal trades/machine shop sector will allow Hawaii island residents to obtain employment in a workforce shortage area.
Nurse and Health Care Worker Training
This program targets current hospital staff, new nursing school graduates, and residents in rural communities. It provides training for individuals in multiple levels of the health care field focused on placing individuals on a career ladder in health care. The programs will lead to job advancement and retention, and to placement of new nurse grads into entry-level positions. This program provides for curriculum development that will be permanently established once created. HHSC has agreed to continue the New Graduate Nurse Training Program after the successful completion of the first pilot program. The preceptor training will leave qualified preceptors in place to allow continued training and mentoring beyond the life of this grant.
Since its inception, 334 nurses and health care workers have participated in Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Nurse and Health Care Worker Training Programs (HHSC) including Nurse Aid and New Nurse Trainee Programs, Preceptorships, Specialty Nursing Programs and a pilot project designed to assist employees who hold nursing degrees from foreign universities to become licensed Registered Nurses in Hawaii. By supporting our public hospitals, health care facilities and their invaluable employees, all residents of the State of Hawaii benefit from better health care and enhanced services.
Rural Teacher, Principal/Administrator, and Educational Assistant Shortage
In order to increase the number and retention of certified teachers, the state will need to strengthen its current system of support for teacher candidates during their student teaching, broaden their recruiting efforts, formalize preparation programs for the difficult qualifying exams, and develop training for supporting entities such as principals and educational assistants. The Department of Labor and Senator Inouye recognize these areas of need for our public school education at the state level and are allocating a portion of the funds requested in this grant for the development of programs for teacher preparation, principal training, and training for educational assistants.
The Rural Teacher Training program will address the teacher shortages in the state, by continuing the support for University of Hawaii College of Education (COE) providing assistance to the most rural communities, seeking both to develop and to retain local teachers. The grant will fund distance education infrastructure and curriculum development, more support for recruitment of local future educators and preparation for PRAXIS testing.
The State of Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) employs approximately 4,000 Educational Assistants (EAs). The Federal “No Child Left Behind” (NCLB) act mandates that all EAs have at least an AA or AS degree or a minimum of 48 credits of college level course work completed by February, 2006. These funds will be used to assist the DOE in their efforts to address this workforce need. School Maintenance Workforce Skills Shortage
Currently, many of the public school facilities have fallen into disrepair. Additional support to the school systems is needed in area of maintenance and repair. At this point, custodial workers in the system are qualified only to do light maintenance and repair work and often do not have the certification required to deal with the more problematic carpentry, plumbing, and electrical jobs that occur. Rather than continue to have schools contract out for this work, often at a prohibitively high cost to the school, the skills of custodians can be upgraded through credential programs in carpentry, plumbing, electrical, and painting. The training will result in: decreased maintenance costs, increased efficiency of facilities management, and enhanced employability for the trained custodians.
Custodian Skills Training
This program will upgrade the skills of custodians currently working in Hawaii’s Public Schools so that they may enhance their employability credentials with both the school district and with the construction industry. The training provided will also facilitate the completion of a substantial backlog of repairs and maintenance required at facilities throughout the statewide school system. This specialized training program will be coordinated with the trade unions, the community colleges, and the Department of Education and will focus on carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and painting.
Fire Fighter and Emergency/First Response Training
This program will provide both higher-level skills training for incumbent and entry level training for rural community residents. The program will work with the Hawaii State Fire Council to implement a Fire Fighter Specialty Training program for incumbent firefighters in the state of Hawaii, saving the departments the cost of sending their personnel to the mainland for this specialized training. A Wild Fire Training component will provide entry level training to rural community residents for fighting land wild fires both in Hawaii, and on the mainland during fire season. In addition to these skills, residents will have the opportunity to receive entry level emergency/first response training that will prepare participants in basic fire fighting, traffic control, emergency medical techniques, lifeguard, crime scene, and disaster preparedness.
These state-based projects focus on efforts to train individuals in specialty areas to prepare Hawaii’s workforce for current and anticipated job openings and to increase the number of individuals with specialized skills needed by the community. These projects seek to sustain our employment and employee base in Hawaii, removing the need for importing workers from the mainland while at the same time benefiting our community welfare.
Hawaii County Police Department Drug Lab Training
One of the unique needs that relates to workforce development is the request for drug lab equipment. Hawaii County has a backlog of cases assigned to its crime lab averaging six months. An article published in West Hawaii Today dated August 22, 2001, claims, and “The backlog of cases slows the process for charging criminals, giving criminals opportunity to commit more crimes." There are also no forensic science programs available on the island. This program will purchase much needed equipment that will enable the lab to process cases on a timely basis. Without this equipment, the deterioration of the criminal justice system on the island will further deteriorate. Unless substances recovered within a few days of the perpetrators’ arrests are properly and accurately identified, the alleged violators must be released creating a revolving door and an exacerbation of the drug challenge on the island.
The equipment and the lab personnel will also be utilized to introduce students to law enforcement and forensics. In summary, increased and enhanced resources will reduce lab-testing time, resulting in quicker charging decisions and opportunity for swift prosecution, offender treatment or punishment, reducing recidivism. The quality of life in the community should improve with the overall reduction in not only drug crimes, but also the reducing the number of crimes of violence and property crimes usually driven by drugs. This liaison between Hawaii Community College and the Hawaii County Police Department should increase the number of students choosing law enforcement as a career and help address a chronic shortage of local applicants for job openings available to Hawaii County law enforcement agencies.
Long-Term Care (LTC) Worker Training
Life expectancy statistics have inched higher in the past decades: people are living longer. As the baby booms age the numbers of people who needing care in their later years is rising. The increase in the number of assisted living facilities around the nation and an increase nation-wide of in-home health care needs has prompted certification and specialized training in elder care and long-term care as well as a growing demand for more workers.
The RDP will provide support for workforce training targeted specifically towards the needs of the Long Term Care industry. Maui Community College will work closely with the state hospital system and the Hawaii Long Term Care Association to provide entry-level training for Certified Nurse Aides specializing in LTC. Training for Care Home Operators will also be supported, along with specialty training for RNs.
Maui Oral Health Center
The Maui Oral Health Center (MOHC) is a partner with the Maui Dental Collaborative. Maui Community College’s Nursing Program in partnership with the County of Maui established the MOHC in response to the critical need for oral health services and dental auxiliary care providers. MOHC serves as the classroom and clinical site for the Maui Community College Dental Assisting Program and provides affordable and accessible oral/dental health care to the underserved, low-income and uninsured families of Maui.
During 2003 the Maui Oral Health Center (MOHC) was able to expand their dental staffing from 4 hours a week to 40 hours a week with the addition of two part-time dentists and one part time dental hygienist. The Dental Hygienist provides periodontal care for pregnant women through a grant funded by March of Dimes. She also provides fluoride treatments and sealants for children.
In response to the significant dental needs of adults that are not covered by Medicaid, the Hawaii Department of Human Service Benefit, Employment and Support Division implemented a demonstration project for recipients. This project is designed to demonstrate that meeting Oral Health needs of individuals will assist them in returning to school or work. The project will begin early in 2004 and will provide $500/per recipient for dental care not covered by Medicaid.
Video Streaming Project
The video streaming project allows faculty to record and digitize classroom instruction and activities for delivery over the Internet. The MCC Nursing Program is delivering four courses via video streaming technology during the Spring 2004 semester. NURS 253 Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing and NURS 253 Issues and Trends in Nursing II are part of the Associates Degree Nursing Program. NURS 261, Advanced Electrocardiogram Interpretation and PHRM 203, General Pharmacology are elective courses. The Pharmacology course has 93 students enrolled from Hilo, Kona, Kauai, Maui and Oahu. The Pharmacology course is required for a number of health careers including: dental hygiene, bachelors in nursing, radiology technician. All nursing faculty members are utilizing WEBCT for on-line student participation and delivery of the video stream via an Internet link. Faculty will be experimenting with the format and will soon begin to include “call in” questions from students who access the class via Internet from their homes.
Elder Care/Personal Care Attendant Training
The Elder Care/Personal Attendant Training was created to address a shortage of elder care professionals on Maui. The Maui Community College Center for Entrepreneurship facilitated the program and has trained 55 participants.
Applied Business and Information Technology Program Support
This grant will enhance Maui Community College’s capacity to contribute to the economic diversification and development in Maui County and throughout the State by continuing to support the development of Maui Community College’s first four-year degree, the Applied Business and Information Technology (ABIT) Bachelor of Applied Science Degree. ABIT will provide workforce training, targeting the needs of the growing business and information technology industries that are leading economic diversification in Maui County.
MCC administrators are also in the process of finalizing the details on the “Sustainable Technology” partnership between Maui Community College and Maui Electric Company to introduce renewable technologies and related curricula and upgrade the electrical / power infrastructure and install and demonstrate renewable energy technologies. The upgrade is one of the steps administrators are taking to streamline the University’s expenses and reallocate these savings to cover ABIT development costs. Other cost-saving measures developed include moving the college to a paperless environment and improving the distance learning delivery system to capture the largest audience possible.
Distance Learning Support
A vital component in the growth and development of an educated work force throughout rural Hawaii is the ability to reach an audience of students from all areas of the state—including the large remote areas—by providing instruction through distance learning. While the University system has implemented a distance-learning platform through the Hawaii Interactive Television System (HITS), the delivery system and services need to be improved and expanded upon to provide an elevated level of value and service to distance learning students. This is imperative as the University prepares to develop accessible workforce training in new identified industries and established professions such as teaching and nursing.
The RJTI grant will help the University develop and streamline the current system in order to expand statewide enrollment. In identifying future demands on the University, the new learning platform needs to better utilize professors’ time, provide trouble-free, uninterrupted service, be user-friendly for all, and increase the perceived educational value in the eyes of the students. Administrators and faculty will continue to search out and identify new effective, user-friendly distance learning delivery systems—such as streaming video on the internet that would reduce University expenses and help move the system to sustainability. It is these new approaches that will provide a flexible teaching format for future students facing educational barriers such as full-time jobs, living in rural area far from the colleges, or family responsibilities—barriers that keep students from the traditional campus-restricted environment.
Just In Time Needs
RJTI staff will work closely with the local Workforce Investment Boards and Workforce Development Division (WDD) One-Stop Centers on each of the islands. As job-training needs are identified, RJTI staff will work to meet these needs. One of the steps to diversifying Hawaii’s economy is actively identifying emerging employment trends and opportunities and training a workforce to fill the jobs. One area of continuing support by RJTI is the state fire fighting community’s training and workforce needs. When potential future employers look at Hawaii to build a business, they need the necessary skilled workforce to make the investment viable. The funds from RJTI will allow the University system the flexibility to assist these potential employers with their needs by developing specialized training courses. While identifying potential employers, RJTI will consider providing assistance in circumstances where needs match the objectives of this grant.
While assisting new employers is critical to diversifying the economy, it is also important to work with established growing businesses in Hawaii on developing current and future workforce needs. By working in collaboration with local businesses, State leaders, and University facility, a community effort will be established that will develop a desired business environment and adaptable workforce in Hawaii that will attract mainland or international companies.
Biotechnology
One of the economically divergent industries making a comeback in Hawaii is the agricultural industry. And one of the biggest debates in many communities is the issue of biotechnology. With continuing education, a growing segment of society is accepting the genetic alteration of crops, but the education and research needs to continue. Most of Hawaii’s food is imported. The need for self-sufficiency is more important today than ever because some of the factors that affect the tourism industry (terrorism, political unrest, labor strikes, weather, etc.) can affect the arrival of outside supplies to Hawaii.
Biotechnology will become an important segment of Hawaii’s agricultural industry and a trained workforce is needed to continue the research as well as implement new changes in production.
RDP will develop a program to train and assimilate biotech workers into the agricultural industry to meet the growing demand. It will also partner with other state and county organizations to positively influence the specialized research needed to move the biotechnology products into mainstream produce production. The effect will be a diversified and enhanced industry better equipped to meet the demands of an isolated populace.
Trades Workforce
The carpentry and other trades continue to grow in Hawaii. Demand for carpentry laborers, finish carpenters, and other construction workers continue to rise as the demand for updated infrastructure and housing increases throughout the State.
The Department of Defense recently announced a military housing privatization initiative in Hawaii that will allocate two billion dollars to renovate seventeen thousand aging military homes on Oahu over the next fourteen years. An undertaking of this size will require an extensive carpentry and construction-related workforce. In addition to the carpentry jobs, the housing project will need to be maintained and managed over the long-term which will lead to other local work in the trades as well as jobs in landscaping, repairs and maintenance.
Funds from RJTI will focus on this employment opportunity by adapting training programs that will help local carpentry industry employees to qualify for these jobs. Since there will be a large exodus of workers from the outer islands to relocate and work on the Oahu project, these island communities will experience the depletion of their construction labor force. This construction worker shortage will need to be addressed. RJTI will identify each islands carpenter and other trades-related labor needs and design training programs to fill the demand and keep local men and women employed.
Guardian Ad Litem Program
Each year in the State of Hawaii, the Judiciary courts appoint Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) representatives for children in over 3,000 cases involving charges of abuse and neglect. In recognition of the importance of providing quality based representation of children within the budgetary limitations of the state, the 2002 Legislature requested a study of the practices that exist in Hawaii and on the mainland in respect to GAL “to determine if a more effective and less costly model can be identified”.
The extensive review of systems resulted in five recommendations, one of which was that a pilot project that encourages flexibility in the use of resources. The Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (LASH) has been providing GAL services under contract to certain courts for the last six years. LASH proposes a model that includes flexibility in the staffing, training, recruitment, and coordination of all GALs and those working with them including staff and lawyers. An 18 month timeframe is estimated for the development and implementation of this proposed project which would result in more experienced and willing providers working in a cost-effective framework as recommended by the Legislative report.
Tech Mentoring
For the last 25 years, the high technology industry has been considered the best solution to the quest for a diversified economy. This is the only industry (other than tourist items) that produces a product light enough and easy enough to be shipped out of the state and still be profitable. While many of the high tech component manufacturing has moved to the mainland for a number of reasons, the training of a high tech workforce that can provide the quality needed without importing people from out-of-state is a goal recognized as essential by everyone. This would reduce the “brain drain” of Hawaii’s young people moving to the mainland by providing higher salaried jobs for them here, provide products requiring almost no shipping costs (software, video, films) that would put us in parity with most of the world, and better meet the needs of Hawaii’s businesses for quality Information Technology workers.
The training will mentor youth with business professionals resulting in a connection between classroom learning and real-world projects. Partners for this program include non-profits with education missions in high technology and non-profits working with displaced youth such as Goodwill Industries. This mentoring will improve student retention and guide them into high tech courses, reach out of school youth resulting in GED completion and high tech vocational training, and result in a better trained workforce able to meet the needs of Hawaii’s businesses and the IT industry.
Oahu Anti-Ice HPD Junior Officer Training
For years, two factors have been actively creating a social and criminal peril to the people in communities on Oahu. The first is the drain of police officers from the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) by police departments on the mainland, mostly from the western coastal states. These departments actively recruit trained police officers from Oahu using higher pay, more benefits, and a lower cost of living as incentives. This has prevented HPD from maintaining full staffing and adequately protecting society. The second factor is the steady rise in the use of the drug “ice” in many communities. Now Oahu has a very serious ice epidemic without the sufficient police resources to fight it.
The Anti-ice HPD Junior Officer Training program will work to attract high school and post-high school young adults to careers with HPD. The greater emphasis would be to include high school students in community training and community watch programs to help the police monitor the actions of ice and other criminals. This would help to interest the students in a career in police force or to continue their education with that career as a goal. For post high school youth it would provide them with exposure to the police resources and on-the-job experience as a way to encourage them to enter a career in public safety.
The effects of this training would be an increased police force and, at the same time, the safety of the public will be increased.
Criteria for Assessing the Viability of RDP/RJTI Proposals
Real Long-Term or Compelling Community Need Health care and public education are viewed as both long-term and compelling needs. The initiatives in these areas seek more lasting impact than the period of resource might suggest. Such examples as supporting the creation of nursing preceptorship curricula to address the current and impending nursing shortage and to be implemented by the public hospitals in future and addressing existing and projected teacher shortages in rural communities through "bootstrap" software to allow residents to meet teacher preparation admission criteria through perpetually licensed online software and mentor assistance present longer term approaches to endemic problems. Jobs, Training and Work Experience
Some of the projects will identify training, work experience and jobs in rural communities that may be relatively small in number but essential to the communities' economic and often resident health. Especially on the islands of Lanai and Molokai, whose populations are particularly small, such services as preparing nurses for dialysis treatment permit residents to obtain relief at home without the expense and risk of a regular flight schedule to Honolulu. Such training creates community capacity to prepare future trained personnel from within the organization and community. While such job creation may be especially costly in small communities, the presence of such critical infrastructure elevates the possibilities for workers with such afflictions to access employment opportunities.
Effectiveness of Short- and Long-Term Strategies Proposals are additionally evaluated for the feasibility of the solutions for continuing services and programs beyond the life of the RDP grant. Short-term training projects must demonstrate the immediate job availability. Regarding longer-term proposals, the cooperating employer or agency must commit to perpetuating proposed project outcomes through identifying a future funding source or some other answer to continuing the service or program. Such commitments might also include an employer's willingness to match the RDP investment to assure the continuation of services.
Cost-Effective - Reasonable Person Test
At stake in the rural communities of Hawaii are the interacting factors of: 1) small economies, markets, and workforce; 2) susceptibility of these economies to national, regional and international disruptions; 3) concern for the environment; 4) preservation of the Hawaiian Culture; 5) desire to stimulate economic development and upward mobility; 6) search for some level of social equity to sustain a sense of an island community whose disparities do not result in growing alienation between local residents and new immigrants. Among these factors, the cost relationship to the outcomes must consider all of these criteria to reinforce the sustainability of the proposed initiative.
Contribution to Sustainable Economic Development and Diversification
Although economic developments may not be reliably predicted, marketing trends; business, social, technological, and scientific directions will be analyzed to judge the future viability of each project. The extent of each project's ability to diversify rural Hawaii's economy will also be an important focus. Sustainability of Initiative
Details of the proposal's sustainability will be presented and reviewed wherever appropriate. In some cases such as training for a specific number of positions, the sustainability requirement may not be applied. However, opportunities to explore some matching employer contribution for future training will be undertaken. In most cases, a reasonable approach of between five to ten years to continuing RDP-initiated services and programs will be sought. Details of the source and strategy for perpetuating such initiatives will vary with each project.
UH, State, Federal Rules and Regulations Compliance
All RDP projects must meet all of the project-related regulations governing the grant as well as UH and state requirements.
Just-in-Time Education & Training: The project will continue to expand “just-in-time” education and training designs that identify and prepare under-employed and unemployed residents for projected vacancies due to retirements and turnover in cooperation with existing private and public sector employers.
Employment Opportunities: The project will continue to work towards identifying and addressing employment and training opportunities with other businesses, entrepreneurial enterprises and government employers.
Capacity Building: The project will continue to explore and address needs for capacity and infrastructure building in Hawaii’s rural communities.
WIB: The project will continue to develop and maintain relationships with the Workforce Investment Boards on each island.
Partnerships: RDP will continue to develop and maintain employment and training initiatives with other partners and resources that can be used in conjunction with the Department of Labor grant funds and continue to apply these resources to a comprehensive array of services to all residents in need of employment and youth in need of workforce awareness preparation and training.
Enhancing UH System Economic Development Capacity One of the primary objectives of the RDP & RJTI grants is to enhance the University of Hawaii System and specifically, UH rural community colleges’ capacity to provide education, training, workforce development services, and economic development support to the rural communities in the state of Hawaii. Towards this end, all programs implemented must support this objective. Although sub-contractors may be utilized as partners and support for programs when necessary, they will only be used to provide services that are not available and/or not considered practical to be offered by the UH System.
Hawaii Island Needs and Program Highlights
The Big Island Rural Development Project (RDP) is challenged by the needs of Hawai`i County's diverse rural communities. Hilo and Kona serve as main ports of call and as a result are more enhanced in terms of economic activity as compared to other major regions on the island. The demise of sugar plantations, once a consistent contributor to the island's economy has mired economic opportunities in the Hilo-Hamakua, Puna, and Ka`u regions. Hundreds of residents in these areas faced drastic lifestyle changes, which also affected a variety of prosperous businesses that served both the industry and its employees. The effects of these closures still linger.
The RDP has begun to identify and support ways to diversify the island's economy to create job opportunities and to assist with preparing the workforce for anticipated job openings. Through the expertise of the Hawai`i Island Community Advisory Committee, other community-based leaders and their respective agencies and organizations, they have helped to address and support strategies to carry out these goals. Some emerging industries identified include astronomy, forestry, agriculture, biotechnology, environmental science, computer technology, tourism, entrepreneurial development, education and health and safety. RDP has looked at ways to assist with entrepreneurial development and to train or retrain residents to qualify for jobs and new careers.
Support of community leadership training and community-capacity building would assist organizations with addressing economic development from a community-based perspective. Opportunities will be provided through programs such as: Community Connection, Family Leadership Circle, State Rural Health Conference, and the Emergency Response Academy.
In the Puna district, the Backyard Awa Project and Backyard Noni Project provides opportunities for families to utilize their land to begin a small business in one of the most desolate areas of the Big Island. In the Hilo and Puna districts, a Farmer Training (Hydroponic Vegetable) Program will also support utilization of available land to begin small agricultural businesses. Island-wide, the Pork and Beef Utilization Project will enhance the agricultural industry through training for value added product development by utilizing secondary parts. Other island-wide projects address the shortages in the nursing and education industries through credited workforce training and retention programs.
Partnerships and leveraging of resources with community entities and the Workforce Development Division have been developed to provide workforce training. Computer basics and advanced classes have been conducted in these areas to address computer literacy needs as well as job specific skills training. Other similar efforts have been identified to continue addressing economic and workforce training on the island. To provide entrepreneurial opportunities to residents in the Hilo-Hamakua district, the continued partnership with Hawai`i County Economic Opportunity Council Honoka`a Ohana Incubator Kitchen has increased its capacity by making available more enhanced equipment to encourage more diverse usage of the facility. We will continue to build upon this model and assist other incubator kitchens through dissemination of information and sharing of resources.
Lanai Needs and Program Highlights
The Lanai RDP was instituted to empower the residents of the Island of Lanai with the support they need to succeed in today’s economy. They have a proven to be very effective in this capacity as is evidenced by the success of the Community Computer Training Facility and Lanai Online web page. New programs will be used to enhance the usability of these existing facilities and to take advantage of the career opportunities offered by the Lanai Company, the largest employer on the island. The summer Teen Advantage Program has allowed high-school students to gain valuable work experience that leads to unsubsidized employment.
New programs will focus on the following:
• Culinary arts • Specialty computer lab training • Development of a digital media production center • Trades training • Online e-commerce market place.
The goal of all projects is to provide the rural community of Lanai with the skills and resources to enter the workforce, retain employment, or to succeed in an independent business.
Kauai Needs and Program Highlights
The Kaua`i Rural Development Project (RDP) is a community driven partnership between the US Department of Labor and Kaua’i Community College. The RDP is supported by various government agencies, service organizations, and businesses on the Island, through its Community Advisory Committee.
The purpose of the RDP is to develop a long-term sustainable community based project on Kaua'i that: (1) provides timely and effective employment training and business support to meet the constantly changing economic conditions, (2) facilitates economic sustainability, (3) encourages life long learning, and (4) improves the quality of life for island residents.
Using The FARM as its operational base, the RDP will continue to train and facilitate life long practical learning for the residents of Kaua’i. The FARM is a comprehensive training and business support complex situated on a 40-acre parcel of land adjacent to Kaua`i Community College. The complex features demonstration fields and classroom facilities that utilize hands-on training to teach students “real life” experiences and methodology. The Digital Media Center is also housed at The FARM. The DMC provides training in the digital media field to include such applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Microsoft Publisher. It is envisioned that once completed, The FARM will operate self sufficiently beyond the life of the grant.
To promote life long practical learning and to help strengthen and diversify the employment/economic base of Kaua’i, the Kaua’i RDP plans to concentrate its efforts in the following categories:
Distance Delivered Learning-To address the critical need for “home grown” teachers, RDP will provide an avenue for residents to earn their college degrees and teaching certificates. Through the purchase of video conferencing equipment, residents can access college level teaching courses without the need to relocate. RDP plans to collaborate with Kauai Community College and other institutions to develop a teacher education curriculum and the means needed to deliver the curriculum.
RN & LPN Preceptorship-With the alarming decline of qualified nurses occurring throughout Hawai’i and Kaua’i, RDP will partner with other organizations to provide clinical preceptorship, specialty in-service education, and job enhancement skills to recent KCC nursing graduates. Through the preceptorship program, graduates will gain proficiency and confidence to smoothly transition into employment opportunities in the health field.
Small Business Training & Support-The failure of new start-up businesses and the bankruptcy of existing businesses will have a negative impact on economic growth and employment stability on Kaua’i. The RDP proposes to initiate a series of classes, workshops, seminars, and counseling services to help alleviate problems and mistakes small businesses commonly make. The RDP, through its Digital Media Center, will also provide assistance to businesses in the area of marketing that may include advertising, web page design, and flyer/brochure development.
Incumbent/Dislocated Worker Training-Unemployed or dislocated residents are finding that they need to develop new skills to re-enter into the workforce. With the constantly changing environment and workplace, even people employed are finding it necessary to acquire additional skills in order to retain their jobs or to advance in terms of responsibility and wages. The RDP will provide training to assist these individuals to enhance their skills or employment opportunities.
Agriculture/Agro-Forestry/Aquaculture Training-To strengthen the economic base of Kaua’i, it is essential there is a diversity of industries successfully supporting the economy. With the recent catastrophe at the World Trade Center and a possible protracted recession, Kaua’i can ill afford to depend on the sugar and tourism industry. Kaua’i needs to develop new industries to enable it to sustain itself through hard times. RDP proposes to provide training that enhances employment and business opportunities in the areas of agriculture, agro-forestry, and aquaculture. Emphasis will be placed on field practices, regulatory compliance and safety issues. The FARM will be utilized as a “demonstration working model” where actual agricultural doctrines are practiced. It will develop demonstration fields that will promote and educate the community about potential crops, various production techniques, and prospects for agricultural and aquacultural diversification.
Community Builder Program-RDP in partnership with the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement is proposing a pilot program that provides capacity building and technical assistance to the community of Anahola. The hands-on approach enhances leadership, strengthens the organizations, and empowers them to increase their impact on the community by the creation of new employment opportunities.
Maui Needs and Highlights
Maui supports a wide spectrum of workforce opportunities from rural backyard agriculture in East Maui to high technology at the Maui High Performance Computing Center. (Research and Statistics Office, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, State of Hawaii) Though available, many unemployed individuals are unable to take advantage of these opportunities due to lack of training. Two hurdles that often impede underemployed and unemployed from obtaining the training they need are: 1) lack of economic means and 2) inability to attend training classes because of time or location constraints.
The challenges that Maui RDP faces are to bring affordable educational resources and skill-training opportunities to individuals in order to provide a trained or trainable workforce and to create entrepreneurs who might start small businesses. These training opportunities must meet the economic and workforce needs of the Island in order to result in sustainable successful employment of the trainees and participants. Specific areas that have been identified by county members and CAC are outlined below.
Maui Medical Workforce Needs
According to projections from DLIR, Home Health Aide is one of the top two fastest growing occupations in Maui County. This in part due to the expected increase in elder population (HHIC, http://www.hhic.org/healthtrends/index.asp) and to the nationally recognized shortage in long-term caregivers (AHCA newsletter, 2000.) As of the end of 1999, 92% of long-term care beds in Maui were occupied, further indicating the growth of the population in need of health care workers who are qualified for this specialty (Maui County Data Book.)
In a recent survey of the immediate and projected health care employment needs, several Maui based Health Care Agencies clearly stated their support of the development of a broad set of training programs in elder care
In response to this request, MCC’s Visitor Industry Training and Economic Development Center (VITEC) and Nurse Training Program have proposed the development of a Health Care curriculum that would use a combination of both credit and non-credit courses to train and certify qualified and highly capable health care workers for our elder community. Maui Education Workforce Needs Maui County suffers from a critical shortage of certified teachers. According to the most recent DOE Annual Vacancy Report for Maui County, 173 teaching positions were vacant (main vacancy areas: Math, Science, Special Education, Hawaiian Immersion, Home Economics, Industrial Arts, Librarians, Counselors).
The shortage can be attributed in part to:
a) Low retention of qualified teachers (The DOE has been unable to fill these teaching vacancies, often resorting to recruiting teachers from the Mainland. These recruits tend not remain in Maui County since they are not from the communities they teach in and have difficulty with acculturation. The statewide retention rate for newly hired teachers is only 45% by the end of the second year of employment), and b) Lack of adequate training and certification programs on the Island of Maui. (As an alternative approach to solving the shortage, the Maui County DOE has hired several “substitute” and temporary teachers who are uncertified and will require training leading towards their certification if they are to remain in their current positions.)
Current solutions to these problems being used across the country include; progressive mentoring programs for first year teachers, increased effort to train more Educational Assistants (EAs), provision of Alternative Certification programs for teachers with bachelors degrees, and the development of Career Ladder curricula for teacher education. A thoughtful combination of these strategies applied to the specific educational needs on Maui can be used to increase the population of qualified and CERTIFIED teachers in our public schools.
Maui Small Business Needs In 1996, businesses with fewer than 500 employees accounted for 55.9% of the states non-farm private sector employment. A 1997 report from Maui County Data book (2000) sets over 50% of Maui farms as individual or family run (sole proprietorship.)
Many small businesses have reported difficulties after their first year of operation due to a need for ongoing training in basic business practices (such as budgets, marketing, accounting, tax regulations etc.) and for introduction to new strategies in production and management.
Several agencies are addressing immediate practical needs of the small business entrepreneur through the proposed development of resource centers for retail startups and small business incubators. These include a retail business resource center to help in the revitalization of Wailuku (county seat), a small business incubator through the MCC Center for Entrepreneurship, and a “virtual incubator” for developing tech industries on Maui. Preliminary estimates put the number of participants in these incubator programs between 100-400 for the first year. RDP will provide training and other support services for this program.
Maui Workforce Needs
I. Incumbent Worker Training: One of the main areas of focus stated in Hawaii’s Workforce Investment Act Plan is the training of incumbent workers (http://dlir.state.hi.us/wia/chapter_2_vision.htm)
. Training of this sector of our workforce serves three valuable purposes in our community: 1) to increase job retention rates, 2) to promote professional advancement, and 3) to increase in the availability of entry-level positions to under- and unemployed individuals.
Maui businesses in previous workforce development focus groups have specifically indicated that they need training programs that they can easily adapt to their on-going operations. Ideally, these training programs would be comprehensive but brief, modularized but developmental, and could be taught in-house by their own management once given adequate instruction and guidance. Once implemented, these training programs can be applied to incumbent workers for advancement and to entering new employees in order to insure a continued high standard of service for the business.
II. Entry Level Training:
The Workforce Development Department (WDD) of Maui has stated that they have received a significant level of requests for entry-level training from retail, restaurant, and selected service industries on Maui.
Specifically, they have received several requests from employers for employees with a commercial driver’s licenses. In the past, WDD would send clients to a CDL course offered at Leeward Community College but the expense of the course and transportation now inhibits this option. WDD has requested the development of a CDL course in Maui and will be able to fund participants when the course is offered.
Though retail and restaurant training programs are available through VITEC’s RITE and RISE programs there still is a need to develop support programs for newly placed employees in these industries. These efforts could easily be combined with the Incumbent training initiatives mentioned in item I of this section.
III. Technology Workforce
According to the WDD for Maui County there will be a 50% increase in the number of jobs for software engineers, just one of the many tech related skills that are becoming more and more in demand on Maui. More high tech jobs are on the way to Maui through the Defense Department interests and through the new University of Hawaii management of the Maui High Performance Computing Center.
These incoming interests need to be able to tap into the large number of skilled workers on island and the many others that wish to return to Maui from the Mainland. (Many individuals have left the state to pursue technical careers simply because they do not feel they can have such a career in Hawaii.) Identification of these populations would encourage investors in high tech fields to come to Maui, creating the opportunities that would draw and retain this highly skilled group of workers. In addition, the identification of the technology businesses and workers on Maui would allow RDP to use its unique affiliation with the University of Hawaii and MCC to help students find on the job training through intern opportunities offered experts in technology.
Molokai Needs and Program Highlights
Molokai RDP's focus is to capitalize on community assets as the cornerstone of economic development.
Molokai and the Trades
Molokai has 1 licensed masonry contractor, 8-10 licensed carpenters, 1 licensed plumber, and 2 licensed electricians. Typically, off-island contractors receive the major construction contracts on Molokai due to a lack of capacity on-island. Most construction type laborers on-island are non-union and significantly less skilled than their off-island counterparts. The stark contrast between non-union and union workers exists in pay scale, benefits, and job opportunities. Non-union workers make between $15-20/hour without benefits. Union workers earn an estimated $30/hour plus hourly vacation pay, annuity, and medical, dental, and chiropractor benefits which total cumulatively to $55-65/hour. Union jobs are unavailable to the largely inadequately skilled pool of Molokai construction workers who do not possess journeyman status or an apprentice card. Additionally, for those who are eligible, the high union dues coupled with the small amount of construction contracts on Molokai pose a disincentive for resident construction laborers to pay union dues.
In order for Molokai laborers to be competitive in the construction industry, they need to increase their work skills. RDP partnership with existing Molokai licensed contractors to conduct on-the-job training along with formal instruction at the community college would qualify committed individuals to apprenticeship programs with the union. This in turn will allow Molokai trainees greater access through the union to steady construction work on and off-island.
With prospective employment in major military construction projects on Oahu, it is our hope that individuals from rural communities like Molokai may also access jobs generated from this effort. With the hours earned and experience gained, Molokai individuals may eventually qualify to become licensed contractors, thereby enhancing the island's own capacity to compete successfully for Molokai construction contracts.
Molokai Ongoing Challenges
RDP's objective is to determine what gap areas exist in the workforce that require added skills and training to residents. However, the unique challenge faced in very small rural areas like Molokai is that building capacity requires not only increasing job skills but helping to fuel the economy in creative ways that neither exceed that community's carrying capacity nor degrade natural and cultural resources, the social framework, and other special characteristics. Jobs are scarce on Molokai, therefore RDP needs greater flexibility in exploring and assisting not only in work training initiatives but also in job creation and economic stimulation. While RDP is charged to invest in projects that commit to sustainability, it often is called to play a more active role in assisting projects to achieve sustainability.
Opportunities & Successes
Molokai Commercial Kitchen
Current RDP projects, like the Lanikeha Commercial Kitchen, show potential clients taking their finished products to the next level. The Lanikeha Commercial Kitchen has two (2) regular users: Chong's Poi Shop which distributes fresh poi to local stores on a weekly basis and Moki's Munchies which processes weekly steamed muffins also marketed in the local stores. Other users are at the test batch and marketing stage: L&R; Farms developing a sweet potato chip product and F&G; yam farmers creating a special yam chip. Other users like a local deli operation working on bottling its delicious house salad dressing and a homemaker creating fresh coconut candy strips are in the early product development stage.
Molokai Slaughterhouse
In collaboration with the state and county governmental agencies, RDP is providing equipment, training and personnel funds to bring on-line the new Molokai Slaughterhouse facility. While other, older slaughterhouses in the state are phasing out due to non-compliance with new regulations, the opening of this state-of-the-art facility poses a tremendous economic boon for Molokai and an opportunity for other islands to get their animals processed. A tentative commitment has been made to ship animals from Maui for processing at Molokai's slaughterhouse. Inquiries have also been made by Big Island slaughterhouse personnel to process some animals on Molokai. Ranchers and homestead farmers on-island now have a venue to process their animals. There is approximately 3,500 to 4,000 head of cattle on the island. An estimated 150 Molokai families raise livestock largely for home consumption; with the advent of the slaughterhouse, there are now opportunities for these small-scale farmers to expand into commercial livestock production. The grocery stores need not import meat from off-island as they will now have access to meats reared and processed right on Molokai. The monies generated will benefit the communit
