THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	109
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

 

 

encouraging the department of education to partner school complex areas with neighboring industries to create k-12 complex area career pathways.

 

 

     WHEREAS, employment related to science, technology, engineering, and math are in-demand and these fields are expected to see sharp increases in job creation; and

 

     WHEREAS, a CNBC survey conducted on five hundred top executives revealed that ninety-two percent of the executives felt there is a jobs skill gap; and

 

     WHEREAS, according to data from the United States Department of Agriculture and Purdue University, the United States expects an annual average of nearly sixty thousand highly-skilled agriculture and related job openings; and

 

     WHEREAS, Cisco Systems, Inc., reports that there will be more than one million cybersecurity job openings in 2016; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has set a goal to facilitate the creation of eighty thousand new jobs with salaries over $80,000 in technology and innovation by 2030; and

 

     WHEREAS, while Hawaii's 3.2 percent unemployment rate is ranked fourth best in the nation, Hawaii will still have a twenty-seven percent shortage of skilled workers by the year 2020; and

 

     WHEREAS, a critical shortage of graduates who are workforce-ready has forced companies in these fields to import employees to fill vacancies, which decreases the amount of available jobs for Hawaii's local workforce; and

 

     WHEREAS, complex career pathways precisely align curriculum with workforce readiness; and

 

     WHEREAS, high schools nationwide are providing similar complex career pathways through various modes including vocational schools and internship opportunities, some of which lead to certificates or licenses in addition to a high school diploma; and

 

     WHEREAS, complex career pathways must be supported by facilities that ensure pathway support by simulating existing and future workplaces; and

 

     WHEREAS, for the 2014-2015 school year, the Honolulu Community College Construction Academy offers three Department of Education courses at fifteen Oahu high schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, satellite campuses could be utilized by school complexes to develop an applied technology center so that high school students can pursue dual credits for college, certificates, and licenses prior to graduation; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Asia-Pacific Technology and Education Program and Honolulu Community College have suggested that complexes with complex career pathway should plan, design, and construct an applied technology center; and

 

     WHEREAS, Leilehua High School is creating complex career pathways by partnering with the National Security Agency Hawaii and local farmers to develop a cybersecurity and agricultural technology pathway; and

 

WHEREAS, Waipahu High School is seeking to partner with the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation and Queen's West Oahu Hospital to develop transportation technology and medical technology pathways; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, that the Department of Education is encouraged to partner school complex areas with neighboring industries to create K-12 complex area career pathways; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is encouraged to plan, design, and construct an applied technology center at a complex specializing in complex career pathways; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Community Technology Workforce Development; DOE