Featured Partnerships
Building Career Opportunities: One Partner at a Time
The Home Ownership Assistance Program (HOAP) Job Training and Placement was created to help Native Hawaiian beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands attain the dream of homeownership.
Homesteaders who need help with mortgage payments can also benefit from the program. Program participants and their families receive assistance with job searching, job placement and job coaching from Goodwill. A pre-employment training class is also available, to review resume and cover letter writing, job searching, interviewing, application preparation and positive work habits. HOAP Job Training and Placement services are available on all of the Hawaiian Islands with Employment Counselors in every county.
Since its inception in late 2007, the program has served approximately 175 beneficiaries, successfully placing more than 70 people into jobs. The program is unique in its emphasis on identifying training programs that are well aligned with individual people and their specific job-related needs. Training programs include specialized skills such as heavy equipment operating, computer programming, cosmetology training, paralegal training, carpentry and commercial driving. HOAP helps participants find more than a job – but a career that they enjoy.
In early 2008, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), signed a project labor agreement with the Hawaii Carpenter’s Union (HCU). This wonderful partnership has allowed Goodwill program participants the chance to obtain high-paying jobs in a field where they will gain very valuable skills.
As part of the agreement, DHHL only hires union contractors to build its new communities. In exchange, the HCU created a special training program specifically for DHHL beneficiaries. Through this agreement, Goodwill was able to partner with the HCU to provide a career opportunity for people with employment barriers. Participants benefit from a three-day “pre-apprentice” training program, and are then given jobs through the union working on DHHL and other construction projects. Some have the opportunity to build homes in the communities where their future homes will be built in. In addition to working, participants enroll in the Carpentry Technology program at Honolulu Community College and attend various trainings including CPR/First Aid and OSHA Construction Health and Safety.
The first class of participants completed the three-day pre-apprentice training in November 2008 on Oahu. In December 2009, the same three-day training will be offered on Maui and in Kona.
