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OHA seeks $281,000 for workforce cohorts to place Native Hawaiians in high-growth sectors
Summary
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs proposed a $281,000 investment to fund credentialed cohorts, internships and mentorships aimed at increasing Native Hawaiian participation in technology, agtech and clean energy sectors.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs staff presented Kulea workforce (also referenced as CALEA workforce in discussion), a targeted initiative requesting $281,000 across FY26–27 to fund certification cohorts, internships with stipends, mentorships and employer engagement aimed at placing Native Hawaiian adult learners in high-demand sectors.
The presentation said the program will deliver hands-on certification cohorts in fields such as drone-based biosecurity, mapping, cloud systems and clean energy, with local facilitators, employer engagement and wraparound services. Projected outcomes cited by staff included a 75% certification completion rate, 80% mentorship retention, 30% of participants advancing to promoted roles or higher credentials, and a 20% projected regional increase in Native Hawaiian employment in targeted sectors.
Budget details given included roughly $225,000 for regional certification cohorts and program coordination, $35,000 for internship stipends and wraparound support, and $15,000 for strategic partnership engagement (line 6449). Staff said the program is designed to serve at least 50 Native Hawaiian adult learners across two fiscal years and that OHA econ staff would allocate about 0.2 FTE to manage the work.
Trustees discussed program timing and care when scaling to younger learners; staff cautioned that programming for under-18 participants requires different liability and curriculum considerations and said initial rollout targets adult learners with potential later expansion.
