workforce development

OVERVIEW

Hawai‘i’s transition from imported foreign fossil fuels to locally generated energy will provide attractive career opportunities that pay well and significantly impact the everyday lives of Hawai‘i’s people and businesses.

Many local private, public, and community-based partners are eager to help prepare Hawai‘i’s energy workforce of tomorrow, starting with our youth and historically underserved communities.

Please contact our Energy Training Specialist, Jo Ann Cantu, at: [email protected]

GOOD JOBS HAWAI’I

Launched in January 2023, Good Jobs Hawaiʻi (GJHI) is a $35 million cross-sector public-private workforce development initiative led by Hawaiʻi leaders that aims to provide skills training and job placement assistance for high-demand, well-paying positions in four of Hawaiʻi’s growing industries: healthcare, information technology, clean energy and skilled trades, and creative media. GJHI operates as a coalition led by the University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges comprising of educators, businesses, and community partners collectively dedicated to preparing Hawai‘i’s residents here and abroad for high-quality careers in Hawaiʻi. GJHI works by convening industry, employers seeking workers, educators, and workforce training providers in dedicated sector partnerships where priorities are identified and employers directly inform training and education providers of their specific workforce needs.

HSEO leads the clean energy and skilled trades sector under GJHI, which includes convening stakeholders through the Clean Energy Sector Partnership to facilitate the development of workforce education and training programs, pre-job experience, and job placement.

CLEAN ENERGY SECTOR PARTNERSHIP

Established in May 2023, the Clean Energy Sector Partnership (CESP) is an industry-led group of employers, educators, and community organizations that strives to identify in-demand entry-level positions and develop career pathways for these positions, identify desired skills, develop training resources, provide on-the-job training, and support overall employment and career advancement. The CESP helps guide the trainings developed under GJHI and other initiatives.

To join the CESP:

Sign the Talent Pledge
Submit the Intake Form
Contact HSEO directly at [email protected]

The CESP is guided by a Steering Committee which has met four times since May 2023 and the Full CESP which has met twice to date: CESP Meetings Found Below

Meeting #1 – Wednesday, October 11, 2023. The more than 80 local industry leaders and community partners in attendance learned about the CESP and Good Jobs Hawaiʻi, and identified training needs and priorities in the sector.

Meeting recording and presentation

Meeting #2 – Thursday, February 7, 2024. The over 70 in attendance learned about the CESP, GJHI, the Hawaii Department of Education Career and Technical Education program, and the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Registered Apprenticeship program. Attendees also provided input on priority workforce needs and proposed CESP priority workgroups: Career Awareness, Student Preparation and Pre-Apprenticeships, and Apprenticeships and Training.

Meeting recording and presentation

Are you a Hawaii employer in the clean energy and skilled trades sectors who is interested in joining the CESP?

Sign the Talent Pledge to join the Good Jobs Hawaiʻi coalition.
Submit the INTAKE FORM if interested in hiring a Good Jobs graduate as an intern or full-time employee or upskilling your current employees. Your input in this intake form will provide the data needed to prioritize collective industry training and workforce needs.

KEIKI-TO-CAREER

Workforce development and education starts at a young age. Hawai’i’s youth must be aware of the good careers in Hawaii’s energy fields, the required knowledge and skills to enter the workforce, and the available resources to support their career development.

HSEO has been increasing its capacity for guiding Hawaiʻi’s next generation of clean energy leaders by providing technical support and engagement capacity for a variety of programs.

HSEO developed a statewide clean energy public education and outreach program to empower teacher, student, and family participation in Hawai‘i’s transition to a decarbonized economy, and to encourage Hawai‘i’s K-12 students to become the next generation of energy leaders. Hawai‘i Revised Statutes, Chapter 196-10.5, directs the HSEO to work with public institutions to develop a clean energy public education plan. HSEO, in collaboration with the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE), contracted the Maui Economic Development Board to develop clean energy curricula and toolkits to train teachers in primarily Title I K-12 schools in Hawai‘i.

HIDOE offers a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, which provides a framework for incorporating career exploration into high school curricula. The Energy Pathway was developed with the support of industry, teacher, and administrative representatives and is launching its pilot in the 2023-2024 school year. The Energy Pathway includes three Programs of Study – Renewable Energy Technology, Alternative Fuels Technology, and Power Grid Technology – each leading with a Foundations of Energy course in the first year and then following with three subsequent courses. HSEO serves as a member of the Pathway Advisory Council and Pilot Project Team to support the identification of industry standards and relevant certifications, curriculum development for individual teachers, coordination with employers in Hawai‘i’s energy industry to provide career exposure opportunities and in-class engagement.

The Clean Energy Wayfinders are based throughout the State and share information and opportunities with their local communities. They support youth energy education by engaging students in their classrooms and afterschool programs with accessible energy information. The Wayfinders help students understand how energy works in our everyday lives and encourage them to envision career opportunities in Hawaiʻi’s sustainable future.