Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 2, 1 Pepeluali 2005 — OHA partnerships offer job skills training [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA partnerships offer job skills training

By Sterling Kini Wong Afew months ago, Lurline Manalo was finally ready to start working again after a car accident three years ago forced her to leave her job at the state tax office, where she was employed for more than a decade. She soon found, however, that the job market she was returning to was markedly different from the last time she was seeking employment. "Now, companies are looking for people with computer experience," said Manalo. "I taught myself how to use computers, but I knew I could leam a lot more." With this in mind, she enrolled in a class at the Hawai'i Technology Institute (HTI), a nonprofit vocational education organization that offers technology training courses to people who want to increase their chances of getting better-paying jobs. In May, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs launched a partnership with HTI that will provide $750,000 in scholarships over three years for Native Hawaiians to attend courses at the institute. The OHA Board's appropriation created 225 scholarships. The partnership is part of OHA's larger vocational program, called Ka Liu 'Oihana (employment preparation), that includes an additional $500,000 in scholarships for Hawaiians to attend two other career training organizations: the Wai'anae Maritime Academy and the Building Industry Association. Trustee John Waihe'e IV, who initiated the program, said that Ka Liu 'Oihana is OHA's attempt at addressing the state's employment fallout following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, whieh he said hit Hawaiians particularly hard. "We

wanted to develop programs that train Hawaiians to acquire skills that ean get them livable wage jobs," Waihe'e said. "We especially targeted Hawaiians who for whatever reason would not be able to attend the typical two- or four-year colleges. We wanted to offer them courses that they could finish in six months and then get jobs right after." In addition, Waihe'e said, OHA sought partnerships with organizations that had proven track records and a high rate of placing graduates in jobs. For example HTI, whieh was created in 1986 as a partnership between Alu Like ine. and IBM, has graduated approximately 2,000 students and over the last four years boasts an 82-percent job placement rate and an 80-percent graduation rate.

The nationally accredited institute focuses on training people with high school diplomas or an equivalent in order to enhanee their employment opportunities. Students in HTI's prerequisite course meet five days a week, all day, for 17 weeks. They leam basic computer and communications skills, and after they eam their diploma they ean either seek employment as an entrylevel secretary or administrative assistant or enroll in more HTI courses. A popular higher-level course is HTI's 17-week computer network technician diploma program, and the institute has just started a nationally accredited medical assistant program. HTI Administrator Scott Murakami said that the courses also emphasize Hawaiian values and civic responsibilities. "We strive to graduate citizens, not just students - that's what makes us different," he said. "We are accountable for social capital: we have to produce a graduate who will give back to society." Most importantly, Murakami said, HTI's main goal is to help improve people's lives. "We measure our success by the number of job opportunities our students receive," he said. Manalo, who finished HTI's introductory course and now interns as a clerk in the Hawaiian Govemance division at OHA, said that although the class was a lot of work crammed in to a short amount of time, the staff at HTI was very supportive: "In the end, I was very grateful for the program. I'm always willing to take classes because it only helps to better myself; and the more I leam, the more doors I'm opening." For more information, or to enroll in HTI, eall 522-2700. ■

Ho'ona'ai iao

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OHA Hawaiian Govemance administrative assistant Myma Junk (standing) works with HTI intem Lurline Manalo on realWOrld COmputer skills. Photo: Sterling Kini Wong