Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 28, Number 11, 1 November 2011 — Job-training program nurtures career growth [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Job-training program nurtures career growth

By Harold Nedd Mason Kakalia, a 21-year-oldpainter, is on the verge of achieving a career goal he has obsessively pursued since graduating from Wai'anae High School. Robert Leimana Rose Jr., a 21-year-old parking lot attendant, until now has been unsure of whether to look at his future in the workplace with enthusiasm or fear. And for the first time since graduating from McKinley High School, Kalani Hulama, a 22-year-old former landscaper turned social-media strategist, has been trying to fit in and be productive in the job of his dreams. These are some of the dozens of Native Hawaiians who have completed an eight- to 10-week job-training course and internship designed to help ensure that employers have the skilled workers they need to serve the community and foster eeonomie growth. A $150,000 grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs is paying the tuition for the job training meant to help Native Hawaiian families heeome more financially viable. The job-training programis part of a broader effort at OHA to help close the median-income gap between Native Hawaiians and the rest of the state by 2018. According to the latest available figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, the median-family ineome for Native Hawaiians was $66,132, compared

with $75,066 for the rest of the state. "Our goal is to help the people in the job-training program heeome self-sufficient," said Danelia Newman, Principal of the Honolulu-based Newman Consulting Services LLC, whieh is conducting the job-training program. "We want to have a tremendous impact on their ability to have a sustainable future." Participants are not required to have graduated from high school or have passed the GED, or General Educational Development, test. Yet, the job training they will receive is designed to develop marketable

skills that wouid beneht talent-hungry employers. For example, they get to take career-broadening courses in basic accounting, administrative procedures and customer service. That is in addition to participating in workshops on team building, time management and how to make a favorable impression on hiring managers, to name a few. "Our program is unique in that we teach from an employer's perspective," Newman said. For Kakalia, the painter, the program helped him become more tech savvy and develop his time-management skills. He also credits the nro2ram

for his overall professional development and his new job as an apprentice at a painting and flooring-design company in Honolulu. "I've always enjoyed painting," Kakalia said. "For me, it's not a job - it's a passion. And I am excited about the opportunity to (some day) run my own crew." Rose was making $10 an hour as a parking lot attendant when he signed up for the program, whieh led to an internship at a supermarket retail ehain in Honolulu. His dream is to open up a mini mart one day in his hometown of Wai'anae. "I got a ehanee to see what it takes to run a store," said Rose. "The program helped me figure out what I want to be. It has motivated me to want more for myself. I was doing all of the wrong things. Now, I don't just want a job - 1 want a career. " Hulama left an $8-hour job as a landscaper to take the program's jobtraining courses that developed his computer skills, including his ability to type 55 words a minute and give PowerPoint presentations. In turn, he landed an internship with a loeal radio station, where he's been a socialmedia strategist and media-marketing assistant. "I used to doubt myself before I took the courses for this program," Hulama said. "It has made me believe in myself. I am a lot more confident about myself now than before." Morning, evening and weekend classes are available in Honolulu. The next session is scheduled to start Nov. 28. Participants must be at least 18 years old. And everyone who completes the program is eligible for assistance with job placement. Call (808) 596-0200 to register. "Employers in our community are experiencing challenges finding skilled employees, and individuals who desire advancement in their employment opportunities are experiencing challenges securing these types of positions due to their laek of skills," said Newman. "Our program addresses both these areas." ■

"For me, it's not a job — it's a passion. And I am excited about the opportunity to (some day) run my own crew." — Mason Kakalia, Apprentice

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Mason Kakalia, doing prep work for a renovation in an upscale downtown condo, credits the job-train-ing program with supporting his professional development and helping him get a job as an apprentice at Hawai'i Hardwood Flooring. - Photo: LisoAsoto