SB1931 CD2

PART I

EDUCATIONAL WORKFORCE WORKING GROUP

SECTION 1. (a) There is established an educational workforce working group within the department of labor and industrial relations for administrative purposes only. The chairperson of the workforce development council or the chairperson's designee shall convene the first meeting of the educational workforce working group no later than August 1, 2007, at which time the members shall select a chair, to examine and address the following issues:

(1) How well the workforce needs of Hawaii are currently being met;

(2) How prepared the State is to meet the workforce needs of the future;

(3) What recommendations can be made to improve Hawaii's educational system to fulfill the workforce needs of the future;

(4) What is the current relationship between the public schools and emerging industries;

(5) What percentage of high school students participate in any form of vocational or professional training outside of the school setting;

(6) What aspects of high school curriculum, standards, and assessment strategies have a direct relationship to the State's future workforce needs;

(7) What are the challenges or impediments to creating a more direct relationship between schools and economy- driving industries of the State;

(8) How might autonomous schools-within-schools, magnet schools, specialized schools, and charter schools be better used to create more direct links between high schools and economy-driving industries of the State; and

(9) How might the size of public schools, the distribution of discretionary funding, the decentralized authority of school community councils or charter school local school boards, and other organizational reforms be better used to satisfy the workforce development needs of the information and technology age.

(b) The educational workforce working group shall submit a report on its findings and recommendations regarding the issues set forth in subsection (a), including any recommendations and proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008.

(1) Two representatives appointed by the president of the senate;

(2) Two representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

(3) The director of business, economic development, and tourism or the director's designee;

(4) The superintendent of education or the superintendent's designee;

(5) Two representatives from the University of Hawaii system; provided that at least one shall be the chancellor of a community college;

(6) Two high school principals appointed by the superintendent of education from the high school principals leadership group;

(7) The executive director of the Hawaii P-20 council or the executive director's designee;

(8) The chairperson of the workforce development council or the chairperson's designee;

(9) The president and chief executive officer of Enterprise Honolulu or the president and chief executive officer's designee;

(10) The president of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council or the president's designee;

(11) The president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii Community Foundation or the president and chief executive officer's designee; and

(12) The executive director of the Honolulu Community Action Program or the executive director's designee.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $25,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 for the educational workforce working group.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of labor and industrial relations for the purposes of this part.

PART II

EDUCATING HAWAII'S WORKFORCE

SECTION 3. The department of education shall include within its strategic plan, plans to ensure optimal use of technology for administration, data collection, and data sharing related to educational and workforce needs, and plans to ensure that personalized student education plans will provide a direct link to economic and workforce needs.

The department of education shall submit a report containing its five-year plan to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008.

SECTION 4. The University of Hawaii shall prepare a report detailing:

(1) The current activities on each of its campuses to prepare students with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully enter and progress in the Hawaii workforce;

(2) The University of Hawaii's current plans to increase the percentage of Hawaii high school graduates who continue their education by enrolling at a University of Hawaii campus and to increase the percentage of students who earn degrees or certificates within one hundred fifty per cent of the planned length of the degree, particularly in fields where the State is experiencing shortages of qualified employees; and

(3) Recommendations about additional steps the State needs to consider implementing to increase the number of qualified workers in the State.

The University of Hawaii shall submit the report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2008.

SECTION 5. (a) There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $125,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 and the sum of $50,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for 2.0 (FTE) workforce development liaison positions and 1.0 (FTE) support staff position within the department of education to assist the department of education in coordinating workforce development efforts with the various departments, agencies, businesses, and organizations, including the University of Hawaii and public school academies, within the State to provide students with:

(1) Career exploration, awareness, and mentoring;

(2) Access to unpaid and paid internships and experiential learning opportunities; and

(3) Job placement assistance;

provided that the duties of the workforce development liaisons shall be divided into public sector and private sector relationships. The public sector liaison shall be responsible for coordinating workforce development efforts between the department of education and any department or agency of the State, the counties, or any political subdivisions thereof, and the private sector liaison shall be responsible for coordinating workforce development efforts between the department of education and businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other private sector organizations.

(b) The workforce development liaisons shall also be responsible for:

(1) Identifying future workforce need areas, such as nursing, teaching, science and technology, and agribusiness;

(2) Working to establish new academies to support growth in workforce need areas;

(3) Interfacing with the business community to determine what skill sets are necessary and to create mutually beneficial relationships between the schools or academies and businesses, including the development of paid internships and facilitation of job opportunities; and

(4) Assisting the public schools and the academies with curriculum integration and other department of education functions.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this part.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1931
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 3
		C.D. 2