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Council committee forwards $1.6 million in WIOA funds for workforce training and apprenticeships
Summary
The Committee on Finance voted to forward a $1.6 million federal WIOA appropriation to county council with a favorable recommendation. County staff and workforce board representatives said funds will be distributed by RFP to support adult, dislocated-worker, youth and administrative programs and to expand apprenticeships, CDL training and partnerships with HCC and unions.
The Hawaii County Committee on Finance voted Jan. 6, 2026, to forward to full council a bill that would add $1.6 million in federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding to the county's operating budget and appropriate it across adult, dislocated-worker, youth and administrative accounts.
Deputy Director Dennis Lin and Clinton Mercado, who manages the county's WIOA programs, told the committee the federal funds are distributed under an annual RFP and that Goodwill Hawaii has been the county's primary contractor in recent years. Mercado said WIOA-funded services include education and training, career guidance, support services and job-readiness programs and that the county's workforce development board advises on priorities and partners.
Mercado described program successes and capacity constraints: CDL training has drawn strong interest but the county faced an examiner shortage that created a waitlist of about "20 to 25 people" for licensing; the county has worked with HCC and local companies to certify additional examiners and reduce the backlog. For 2025, staff reported active participants as of December: 338 adults, 70 dislocated workers and 72 youth; the American Job Center recorded roughly 3,000 visits during 2025.
Council members asked how the funds would translate into jobs in sectors such as engineering, health care and wastewater operations, and pressed staff for outcome data over multiple years. Staff agreed to provide five-year participant and outcome numbers to the council.
The committee voted to forward Bill 1-12 to council with a favorable recommendation; the clerk recorded nine members in favor.
If approved by the full council, the bill would appropriate $1,600,000 to Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act accounts: $200,000 (administrative/planning), $650,000 (adult program), $300,000 (dislocated worker) and $450,000 (youth program). The county will administer an RFP for service providers, monitor performance and refer job-seekers to one-stop operators including the American Job Center.
