STAND. COM. REP. NO. 283

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 887

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Education and Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 887 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to support workforce development through the establishment of a pilot program within the Department of Education to provide pre-apprenticeship programs in the public high schools.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Honolulu Community College, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and the Pacific Resource Partnership.  Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Your Committees find that workforce development is a major issue facing our State today.  Efforts to grow a highly qualified and highly skilled workforce are required to meet the workforce needs of businesses within the State.  In 2006, the Legislature established the Construction Academy within the Honolulu Community College to provide pre-apprenticeship programs in an attempt to meet workforce deficiencies in the construction industry.  Testimony indicates that approximately one thousand public school students are participating in Construction Academy courses in twenty-seven public high schools.  Your Committees believe that the same concept can be expanded to address workforce training needs in other industries.

     Your Committees note that the Department of Education raised concerns about the provisions of this measure due to the infancy of the Construction Academy program, the lack of data on that program's effectiveness, and how it can be improved.  Your Committees believe that continued efforts to develop programs and training for workforce development should not be delayed.  The establishment of a five-year pilot program to provide trade pre-apprenticeship programs in public high schools can benefit from the example set by the Construction Academy and should serve as a complement to the Construction Academy program and emphasize applied and experiential learning.

     Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Including language to indicate that the trade pre-apprenticeship programs established in public high schools should emphasize applied and experiential learning;

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Judiciary and Labor that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 887, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 887, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Education and Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________ CLAYTON HEE, Chair

____________________________ NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair