Connecting to jobs through Hawai‘i Remote Work
Posted on Mar 30, 2021 in Capitol Connection, Featured, Main
The American Job Center in each of the state’s counties is partnering with other agencies to implement the new Remote Work initiative.
What if you could find work anywhere in the world and still live in Hawai‘i? A statewide program to help unemployed residents do just that has been launched, with more opportunities being planned through state and county partnerships. The goal of the Hawai‘i Remote Work Pilot Project is to help residents find new career paths and still make their home in the islands. “Remote work for local residents is one important way we can keep families together here in Hawai‘i and stop the export of our talent,” said Leslie Wilkins, chair of the state’s Workforce Development Council (WDC). “Connecting our residents to global employment possibilities is a way to open doors to economic resiliency.”
The “Remote Ready Hawai‘i” program provides unemployed residents intensive training as a remote business development representative or a remote customer service professional, a paid remote internship, and job placement assistance after course and internship completion through Instant Teams. The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations through WDC and the American Job Centers in each of the state’s counties. For more details, email [email protected] or call 586-9285.
Another initiative already under way is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) training and certification boot camp offered through the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training (PCATT) at Honolulu Community College. According to the state’s broadband strategy officer Burt Lum, “Broadband is the foundation upon which all the new digital applications are delivered, and much of this resides in the cloud. AWS is a key technology in this cloud system. The AWS Cloud certification helps to build that expertise.” HCC chancellor Karen Lee added, “This initial AWS training is an excellent example of a public-private workforce training partnership that’s needed within our state. We’re thankful to the Broadband Hui for approaching us with this opportunity to train students with the latest, industry-recognized IT and cloud computing skills.” For more details on future courses, go to https://pcatt.org/ and click on “cloud computing.”