LIHU‘E — The WorkWise Kaua‘i One Stop Job Center recently held a dedication ceremony at its new location, according to a county press release. The office is now located adjacent to the Lihu‘e Big Save in the Pi‘ikoi Building of
LIHU‘E — The WorkWise Kaua‘i One Stop Job Center recently held a dedication ceremony at its new location, according to a county press release.
The office is now located adjacent to the Lihu‘e Big Save in the Pi‘ikoi Building of the Lihu‘e Civic Center. The WorkWise office houses the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations workforce development team which is contracted by the county in order to deliver employment and training programs for adult and dislocated workers.
A complete range of services are offered at the one stop center such as employment; training and education services for job seekers, dislocated workers, incumbent workers and new entrants to the workforce; along with comprehensive services for employers — online job order placement and resume review, applicant referrals, labor market data, training programs and other employment related assistance, the press release says.
“We are delighted to host the workforce development team and partner agencies, giving them a higher visibility and enabling the County to support their efforts through our Office of Economic Development at one convenient location,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.
Having the One Stop Job Center at the Lihu‘e Civic Center was a project that was envisioned by the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste, and it was one of his top priorities when he took office in 2002, according to Carvalho.
“He truly believed that the efforts of the WorkWise team was an integral part of the county’s mission and that everyone, especially businesses and working people, would benefit by having the WorkWise office housed at the Lihu‘e Civic Center,” said the mayor. “It took eight years of dozens of individuals working through numerous challenges to bring the project to completion.”
The funding for the WorkWise One Stop Job Center was largely provided by the Economic Development Administration, while the remaining balance was provided by the County Council.
“As each of us tries to do our part in helping one other through these very difficult economic times, we are truly thankful to the late Mayor Bryan Baptiste for his vision, Beth Tokioka, former director for the Office of Economic Development, the County Council, and Gail Fujita with the Economic Development Administration for their roles in making this dream a reality,” said George Costa, director of the Office of Economic Development. “This is another great resource that offers support to our Kaua’i ‘ohana especially those who are unemployed and need a helping hand.”
Additionally, coinciding with the opening of the new WorkWise office, was the launch of the state’s Volunteer Internship Program on Kaua’i.
VIP is a training program for job seekers receiving unemployment insurance benefits. The goal of the program is provide the interns with workforce training giving them the opportunity to acquire new skills, work experience and/or references, and to help them decide on the types of work they may be interested in pursuing, the release says.
Job seekers and businesses can visit http://hawaii.gov/labor/vip for more information about the new program.
For general information about the WorkWise Kaua‘i One Stop Job Center, please call 274-3056.
