Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 20, Number 10, 1 October 2003 — Niʻihau residents gain commercial driver training [ARTICLE]

Niʻihau residents gain commercial driver training

Aspecial training program created by a collaboration between the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Kaua'i Community College and several other Hawaiian organizations has provided 29 Ni'ihau residents with the opportunity to qualify for jobs driving commercial vehicles. At a Sept. 12 ceremony held at the Queen Eili'uokalani Children's Center in Eīhu'e, OHA trustees and officials from Alu Eike, Hō'ola Eāhui Hawai'i and the KCC Office of Continuing Education and Training joined families in applauding the participants upon their completion of the KCC program. All 29 have since passed the county written test and received their driving permits. On Sept. 27, they began a six-week driving course, learning to drive large trucks at Vidinha Stadium. Kaua'i County Supervisor Steve Carvalho is teaching the students on his days off. Alu Eike, whieh offers employment training programs for Hawaiians, first got involved when representatives learned that Ni'ihau residents wanted to apply for truck-driving jobs on the island offered by Gay & Robinson ine. Many residents also commute to work on Kaua'i, and the applicants felt the license would upgrade their skills to qualify for better jobs driving mail trucks, school buses and large commercial vehicles. Fa France Kapaka-Arboleda, OHA Community Affairs Coordinator for Kaua'i/Ni'ihau, said obtaining the licenses will put the participants on more secure financial footing. "They will have added employability. The options are out there for school bus drivers, (or) to work with the county," she said. ■