Pictured (from left) are: Ryan Nobriga, general manager of the Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas; Melissa Kunitzer, University of Hawaii Maui College (UHMC) Ka Holu support team; Nicolette Van der Lee, UHMC Ka Holu program director; Candy McComb, Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas owner; Vic Henry, Kaanapali Ocean Resort Foundation board member, owner and husband to Candy; Jocelyn Romero Demirbag, UH Foundation director of development, Maui Nui; UH Maui College Chancellor Dr. Lui Hokoana; and Angela Nolan, general manager, Marriott Ko Olina Beach Club). PHOTO COURTESY OF UH MAUI COLLEGE.

KAANAPALI — The Kaanapali Ocean Resort Foundation (KORF) has made a third donation to the University of Hawaii Maui College workforce development initiative known as Ka Holu.

A $25,000 check was presented last month. This gift will support training, certification testing fees for Career and Technical Education graduates, and even expenses when graduates need to travel for certification tests only given off-island.

“Supporting Maui workforce development is a top priority for both the property owners who contribute to the Kaanapali Ocean Resort Foundation and all its trustees,” said KORF Executive Director Melissa Pavlicek.

“We’ve seen firsthand how UH Maui College improves the lives of graduates, resulting in increased job skills and higher paying jobs.”

The previous two KORF gifts were used for HVAC training.

Appropriately, the check presentation took place in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources classroom, where the students installed air conditioning as part of the course that KORF funded.

“There is nothing more powerful than helping people fulfill their potential,” said Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas General Manager Ryan Nobriga.

“The Ka Holu initiative increases the number of people who are qualified to fill skilled trades positions right here on Maui. That makes a huge impact on our economy.”

Visionary companies and philanthropists are partnering with UHMC to take the lead in solving Maui Nui’s workforce shortage while providing career pathways in living wage jobs for Maui Nui’s youth.

The Ka Holu program offers accelerated career pathways for residents to move from minimum wage jobs to living wage jobs while responding to the in-demand workforce needs of local employers.

The program integrates on-the-job and professional skills training with industry-recognized certifications to better prepare trainees for securing and keeping jobs.

Ka Holu programs are tuition-free and supported by Hawaii businesses and philanthropists.

Their accelerated hybrid training programs include online courses, hands-on lab workshops and work readiness training for industry certification, internships and job placement, ideally within three months.

The program has now become the basis for Hana Career Pathways, a U.S. Department of Education-funded statewide grant building on the momentum of statewide industry, workforce development and educational planning toward a thriving, diverse and resilient Hawaii. UHMC is partnering with this program to extend the reach of donors even farther.