For the first time since the pandemic began, Hawaii Job Corps has resumed enrolling new students for immediate in-person instruction.
The free work-training programs in Waimanalo and in Makawao on Maui have current openings to house, feed and educate qualified applicants and place them directly into employment. Both sites serve students ages 16 to 24.
At the Waimanalo site, which can accommodate up to 211 students at a time, training is available in the areas of security and protective services, building construction technology, automotive repair, culinary arts, painting, office administration, landscaping and nurse assistant certification.
The Makawao program can serve 128 students, with training in hotel and lodging, culinary arts, building construction technology and administration.
“We are incredibly excited that our campus is open for in-person learning and are eager to bring in deserving young people and help them start their careers,” Waimanalo center Director Ellen May said in a statement. “With a long track record of successfully placing our graduates into meaningful careers, we want our community to know that Job Corps is a terrific first option for any interested young person.”
Hawaii Job Corps suspended in-person learning in March 2020, and “we then started virtually learning, as did most educational facilities,” said Julie Dugan, business community and outreach manager.
In September, new students participated in online instruction for 60 days before coming to campus for in-person instruction. In February the program shifted to starting new students in in-person settings.
“We are fully open and are bringing in new students every two weeks in small cohorts to keep in compliance with social distancing,” Dugan said, and the program has protocols and policies in place to track COVID-19 symptoms, test and prevent an outbreak.
Fully funded by the federal government, Job Corps services are provided at no cost to students and their families. The program includes a network of 123 Job Corps centers nationwide.
Hawaii Job Corps Center’s website says that in additional to job training and placement, it offers driver’s education, English language learning and academic tutoring, along with such benefits as residential housing, food service, health and dental care, a biweekly basic living allowance and a clothing allowance. Job Corps can also help students earn their high school diploma or GED.
To apply, call the enrollment hotline at 808-259-3220 or go online. That number can also be used to schedule a tour of the Waimanalo campus. To schedule a tour of the Makawao site, call 808-579-6506.
