Report Title:

Demonstration Program of Business Mentoring of Youth and Young Adults; Appropriation

Description:

Appropriates money to establish a demonstration program of business mentoring for youth and young adults in career development and workplace and occupational skills.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1425

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to business mentoring of youth and young adults.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. Recent workforce and economic reports reveal that Hawaii's economy is creating few jobs and the labor force is growing almost as slowly as the creation of new jobs. Non-agricultural wage and salary jobs in Hawaii increased to 551,350, a less than 1.16 per cent increase from 1992 to 2000. Workforce and economic analysts agree that this slow growth is a long-term trend stemming from the looming retirement of the baby boomer generation; i.e., those born between 1946 and 1964, and the lower numbers to replace them in the succeeding generation. Analysts have warned that the exit of boomers from the workforce is already impacting the workforce and may result in severe labor shortages, slow economic growth, and declining quality of life unless steps are taken to counter these effects.

This aging of the workforce, according to the United States census, will be more serious in Hawaii than in the nation as a whole due to Hawaii's higher proportion of older people with 29.9 per cent age 35-54, and the lower proportion of the younger population with 27.7 per cent age 15-34.

This lack of an adequate supply of labor can be detrimental to the State's economic expansion and diversification of new and high wage jobs. The availability of labor, especially knowledgeable and skilled workers, is the most important factor in attracting high wage, high skilled industries like technology and science-based companies to invest in workers and position themselves in Hawaii.

The legislature finds that it will assist the development of a demonstration program of business mentoring to in-school and out-of-school youth ages 14-17 and young adults ages 18-25, in career development and workplace and occupational skills. The demonstration program of business mentoring shall be administered by the Hawaii workforce development council (WDC), which is initiating the promotion of business mentoring as a workforce strategy. Among the business mentoring best practices in Hawaii are career academy business boards, Hawaii Tech Quest, and the Hawaiian Electric Company's Partnerships with Education.

For each county, WDC will determine one business intermediary organization that will coordinate the business mentoring projects with their member companies. Examples of business intermediary organizations are chambers of commerce, economic development boards, and industry associations.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a demonstration program of business mentoring and to appropriate moneys to encourage employers to provide business mentoring to youth and young adults in career development and workplace and occupational skills.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005, to the Hawaii workforce development council for the administration of the demonstration program provided by this Act.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of labor and industrial relations for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2003.

INTRODUCED BY:

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