Vibrant Hawaiʻi Engaging Community to Develop Work-Based Learning for Hawaiʻi Island Students
This content originally appeared in the Vibrant Hawaiʻi Newsletter
The Hawaiʻi Workforce Funders Collaborative is excited to fund and partner with Vibrant Hawaiʻi to gather input from youth, educators and employers islandwide, document assets, resources, readiness and recommendations to advance the goals of the Hawai’i P20 Partnership for Education: Connecting students to Work-based learning (WBL) opportunities to gain technical and employability skills in preparation for future careers.
To advance the goals of Hawaiʻi P-20 Work-based learning, Vibrant Hawaiʻi will be:
Conducting an environmental scan to assess the readiness of schools, business, and communities to support Work-Based Learning,
Document those findings to include a directory of existing resources, a calendar of existing events that support work based learning objectives in each district, potential barriers and challenges to provide hyperlocal insight and recommendations to ensure project success,
Executing case studies to demonstrate Hawaiʻi Island cross-sector partnership readiness, and
Co-creating a rubric with the community to prioritize program rollout and opportunities to scale.
"At its core, creating equitable access to quality jobs begins with introducing kids to opportunities, empowering them to explore their passions and talents, and ensuring that they have what they need to make informed choices that align with their aspirations. When work based learning opportunities are presented from this mindset, something special happens. We witness the blossoming of dreams, the discovery of hidden talents, and the forging of lifelong connections within their own community. Kids who gain early exposure to viable careers here in Hawaiʻi can envision a future where they can remain in their community, contributing to its growth and prosperity.
We are thrilled that Vibrant Hawaiʻi will be leading this critical work to engage with community to better understand what students, educators, and employers need to create and sustain a system of work based learning opportunities. Their approach of elevating and implementing community-driven solutions will ensure that the system is responsive to the needs of community."
- Matt Stevens, Executive Director, Hawaiʻi Workforce Funders Collaborative
Beginning in September, Vibrant Hawaiʻi will be convening focus groups with youth, educators, and employers across Hawaiʻi Island to identify interest, readiness, or anticipated barriers to participation in work-based learning pathways. If you would like to participate in these focus groups or learn more about how your organization can participate in work-based learning, please email Callie Martin at callie@vibranthawaii.org.
