STAND. COM. REP. NO. 245

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 607

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 607 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to expand experiential learning opportunities in the State.

     Specifically, this measure appropriates funds for the research and development of a statewide web-based database of experiential learning opportunities and for a study to identify barriers to businesses or organizations voluntarily providing experiential learning opportunities.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the University of Hawaii, the Workforce Development Council, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that the State is currently experiencing workforce shortages in various areas and fields.  Increased efforts are necessary to not only recruit and retain qualified and skilled workers, but also to grow a highly skilled and knowledgeable workforce to meet the needs of the State.  Your Committee further finds that experiential learning opportunities provide a manner by which businesses and organizations can benefit from additional assistance and workforce development and our students can benefit from the opportunities to learn and gain experience in various fields.  Experiential learning consists of learning through actual experience, allowing students to test academic theories through real world applications.  Your Committee believes that experiential learning will afford students with invaluable opportunities to relate their studies to real world experiences.

     This measure seeks to expand experiential learning opportunities throughout the State by providing funding to develop a statewide web-based database of experiential learning opportunities.  Additionally, this measure commissions a study to identify barriers to businesses and organizations providing experiential learning opportunities to students.  Your Committee believes that these efforts will help to increase experiential learning opportunities for students and, in turn, strengthen the development of a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 607, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 607, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair