THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	29
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO establish a task FORCE to CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE study OF the STATE'S current education and workforce development programs.

 

 

     WHEREAS, unlike other states, such as New York and California, Hawaii lacks adequate advocacy from the executive branch for workforce development; and

 

     WHEREAS, tourism and retail, the State's most dominant economic sectors, provide relatively low wages for workers, most of whom are of Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian, and Filipino heritage; and

 

     WHEREAS, work-based learning and development programs allow youth and adults to explore new opportunities, build skills, and transition into new career pathways; and

 

     WHEREAS, providing workforce development and work-based learning programs to train low wage workers for higher wage sectors will improve their economic status and reduce the racial wealth gap; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Workforce Development Council is requested to establish a task force to conduct a comprehensive study of the State's current education and workforce development programs; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Workforce Development Council is requested to select the members of the task force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to:

 

     (1)  Identify strategies to locate industries experiencing worker shortage;

 

     (2)  Identify strategies to enhance recruitment and retention of workers in industries experiencing worker shortage;

 

     (3)  Identify strategies to expand experiential, work-based learning opportunities for adults and youth in the target populations;

 

     (4)  Identify strategies for closing the digital divide for disconnected State residents to create new opportunities for participation in society and the economy;

 

     (5)  Study the State's existing education and workplace development programs and identify the programs that provide resources to the target populations;

 

     (6)  Study the pathways for obtaining certain in-demand occupational licenses;

 

     (7)  Ensure that English language learners have access to work-based learning, job training, and employment opportunities and the support they need for success in employment;

 

     (8)  Identify strategies to ensure programs are coordinated in a manner that maximizes participation for employers and employees;

 

     (9)  Provide recommendations on:

 

          (A)  How to identify, enhance, and expand effective workforce development programs to facilitate the training and employment of historically untapped workforce populations in specific fields; and

 

          (B)  Additional programs that will address the identified needs of the target populations; and

 

    (10)  Submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025.

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations and Executive Director of the Workforce Development Council.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________