THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

122

THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the Department of Human Resources Development to reexamine the qualifications for vacant state positions and replace the requirement of a bachelor's degree with an associate degree or certificate, where applicable.

 

 


     WHEREAS, there are more than six thousand vacant positions within state government; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to fill these vacant positions with qualified individuals, as doing so will:

 

     (1)  Directly and positively impact the availability and quality of customer service provided to the public through state agencies; and

 

     (2)  Provide stable careers with steady income to the people of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development has not conducted a review to verify the applicability of the qualifications required for these positions; and

 

     WHEREAS, some of the vacant positions require a bachelor's degree despite the degree being irrelevant to or unnecessary for the performance of the duties of these positions; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, in partnership with the University of Hawaii Honolulu Community College, offers apprenticeship programs that prepare participants to enter and advance in various trades; and

 

     WHEREAS, apprenticeship programs:

 

     (1)  Provide a participant on-the-job learning and development of technical and nontechnical skills and proficiencies applicable to today's workplace and necessary for the participant's future occupation;

 

     (2)  Evaluate the apprentice's acquisition of skills based upon a specified number of hours of on-the-job learning and the successful demonstration of competency, as described in the work process schedule; and

 

     (3)  Upon satisfactory completion, may lead to an associate degree or certificate of completion; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Human Resources Development is urged to reexamine the qualifications for vacant state positions and replace the requirement of a bachelor's degree with an associate degree or certificate, where applicable; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development, in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, is urged to consider and determine whether the completion of an apprenticeship program would adequately equip an individual with the skills and knowledge necessary for state employment; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to submit a report to the Legislature by January 1, 2024, detailing state positions for which job qualifications were amended; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Resources Development, and Director of Labor and Industrial Relations.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Department of Human Resources Development; State Government Vacancies; Job Qualifications; Apprenticeship Programs; Report