More Job-training Funds For Waimanalo

A half-million-dollar grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will help a local nonprofit recruit eligible Native Hawaiians in Waimanalo and elsewhere for employment training.

Parents and Children Together (PACT) will use the $500,000 in OHA money for its Ready-to-Work and Career Support Service project, which includes outreach and recruitment, intake and assessment, preparation classes for the Competency Based Diploma, employment training, placement and more.

Recruitment will target Waimanalo and Papakolea homesteads, where there are high concentrations of Hawaiians.

“Our (programs) will create a systemic change and maximize the impact on all Hawaiians,” said PACT president Ruthann Quitiquit, “by providing educational and training scholarships to Native Hawaiians who desire to continue post-secondary education, vocational and specialized training.” This effort is part of PACT’s statewide Economic Development Center, which has shown good results over two decades in terms of new jobs, self-owned micro-enterprises and franchise ownerships.

For more information, call PACT at 843-1476.