Developing and Integrating a Maui Workforce Ecosystem

erc projects

Developing and Integrating a Maui Workforce Ecosystem

Develop social and economic structures, and systems, to expand and train, and attract and retain, with adequate financial support in skilled trades, essential workers, sustainable industries, and education.

Project Description

Create social and economic structures and systems to expand, train, attract, and retain local workforce with adequate housing and financial support.
There is a need to strengthen coordination of industry specific resources to the community and strengthen existing industry pipelines. To achieve this, federal funding should be secured to stand up six targeted positions.

Barriers to remove/address:

Stock of affordable, adequate housing
Need for a navigator/interlocker role to connect the resource to the need for each industry and coordinate each pipelinesome text
- Healthcare: Connect K-12 students, college students and potential workforce from hospitality industries to healthcare systems/HR. Map out various medical/healthcare tracks that are available for employment, map out financial plan/needs for various medical/healthcare tracks. Work with MEDB’s STEMworks that has K-12 career awareness and articulation to UHMC to see if healthcare programs are being filled and, if not, plan on how to fill them.
- Construction
- Natural Resources/Agriculture/Food Systems/marine industry
- Government
- Education: Build expanded articulation between K-12 CTE and MEDB STEMworks programs to UHMC and expand running start plus work-based learning
Need an overall navigator to strategically oversee each pipeline

Create social and economic structures, and systems, to expand and train, and attract and retain, with adequate financial support in skilled trades, essential workers, sustainable industries, and education. Please see the ERC Workforce Development Ecosystem Plan.

Purpose

The goal of this project is to meet the expanding need for essential workers with locally trained talent by:

Training and retain existing and graduating Maui residents/students in a skilled workforce with stable and higher wages
Provide adequate workforce housing
Connect learning structures with employment opportunities
Strengthen public/private partnerships
Provide cross functions and skills development

By meeting the project outcomes described above, the County of Maui will benefit by developing a comprehensive and coordinated long-term workforce strategy with multiple career pathways that will ultimately result in higher retainment of local labor and higher placement of entry and mid-level positions

Alignment with West Maui Community Plan (WMCP)

Goal 2.4 - Economic opportunity through innovation and collaboration.

2.5.12 - Support missing middle housing types (multiunit or clustered housing types compatible in scale with single-family homes such as ‘ohana, duplex, tri-plex, fourplex, courtyard apartments, bungalow court, and live/work units) and simple style single-family homes to meet the growing demand for a diversity of housing options and affordability.

Policy 2.5.16 - Increase the inventory of long-term housing units, whether owner-occupied or long-term rental, and whether single-family or multi-family.

Interdependencies and Roadblocks

Affordable, adequate housing
Access to agriculture land and natural resources
Classroom space
Integrate new housing development with space for classroom/training sites and green space for home gardens

Next Steps

Work with ERC Project Management Team to establish and finance a fund development team
Fund development team to develop proposals to fund positions
Identify and provide executives on loan including: (grant writers, communications specialists, project managers, compliance and fiscal managers)
Increase outreach (intentional), multimedia, and communications to utilize social media to market and share information about programs and opportunities
Provide resources with equipment, connectivity, and language/cultural support to bridge the resource with community groups
Data to demonstrate the shortages and job needs to stabilize the local and state economy

Project Details

Cost Estimate: $3,024,000 over 3 years (Maui ERC WFD Estimated Project Cost)

Potential Funding Sources:

Private funding (Bezos, Bennioff, Chang-Zuckerberg, Peoples Fund)
Healthcare systems (Kaiser Permanente)
Weinberg Foundation
Harold KL Castle Foundation
USDA: Rural Development, Agriculture Marketing Services, Economic Recovery Services, Food and Nutrition Services
EDA grants
HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration)
US Department of Labor
US Department of Energy

Project Lead

Office of Economic Development

Non-profit partners to execute strategies and programming
The Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) falls under the office of Economic Development, which is federally funded for workforce training
The American Jobs Act, under the Office of Economic Development

Project Partners

UH Maui College
DOE & Charter Schools
Kamehameha Schools
Maui Economic Development Board
Maui Economic Opportunity
Maui Chamber of Commerce
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii
Workforce Development Board
Economic Development Administration
Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement
Alu Like
Papa Ola Lōkahi
Labor Unions
Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority
Maui Healthcare Sector Partnership
Large employers like Mahi Pono, Hawaiian Telcom
Small Business Administration
Healthcare Association of Hawaii Healthcare Workforce Initiative
Good Jobs Hawaii
Goodwill Industries of Hawai’i
DLIR Workforce Development Division
JobCorps
McKinley Community School for Adults Education
Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Other ERC Projects

Designing Permitting Processes for Accelerated West Maui and Kula Recovery: A Project for Rebuilding

Expanding R-1 Water System to Lahaina

Lahaina Business Park: Malu Ulu O Lele

Pathways to Prosperity: Health, Housing, and Economic Diversity for All

Regaining Lahaina’s Harbor for Economic Resilience

Story Mapping and Abundance Planning for Economic Recovery

The Healing Journey (Maui Economic Recovery through Community Healing)

Wai Dashboard

West Maui Water Management Plan

Advancing an Agricultural, Natural Resource & Food Systems Workforce Task Force

Back to ERC

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Key Highlights

ERC members share from the ERC process:

The opportunity to get to know and work with others, who they normally would not meet, in meaningful ways
A new way of doing business together for shared goals: Time to build foundations and relationships, to learn, and to think broadly about what Maui needs for long-term recovery has been really appreciated and is crucial for real impact
Witnessing a de-siloing of government (across levels) and experiencing working with agencies and across sectors provides hope
Mayor Bissen announced that there will be private funding to support two years of project management, so relationships, new ways of doing business together, and the projects will continue through implementation, and our administration will continue to support the people of the Maui and the County after this warm hand-off

Maui Nui Strong is a program of the County of Maui Office of Economic Development that connects our residents, businesses, and visitors to useful information about Maui County, our diverse islands, and a variety of resources that help to promote thriving and vibrant communities.

erc projects