The Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i is, ahem, engineering new ways to bring kama‘āina back to the Islands.
The Kama‘āina Come Home program connects former Hawai‘i residents who have moved to the Mainland with engineering opportunities here in the Islands.
According to the chamber, the Kama‘āina Come Home program — which is trademarked by and used with permission from the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board — aims to reverse the loss of local talent "by showcasing career pathways, economic opportunities and quality of life in Hawai‘i."
Participants will receive one-on-one mentorship, access to an exclusive LinkedIn group and other resources, as well as networking events "to support a smooth transition back home."
McKenna Dale, manager of Workforce Development at the chamber, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for businesses in Hawai‘i, told Aloha State Daily that the program stems from the organization's Engineering Sector Partnership. These sector partnerships are industry-led public-private workforce development initiatives, and the Engineering Sector Partnership is one of five convened by the chamber, she said.
The chamber said in a recent announcement that the partnership, which was launched in 2018, focuses on career awareness, math readiness, and women in STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, "to build a strong engineering talent pipeline from kindergarten through career."
Dale said Kama‘āina Come Home is the flagship program of the Talent Recruitment and Retention action team, the fourth and newest action team, or priority focus area, for the Engineering Sector Partnership.
The idea of Kama‘āina Come Home, Dale says, is to connect engineering students and professionals who are originally from the Islands and living on the Mainland with engineering companies and professionals here in Hawai‘i "for informational interviews and for network expansion," with the goal to find the right career opportunity for that person.
"Brain drain is such a huge issue and a hot-button topic in Hawai‘i, so we're really trying to create a program that offers this one-stop shop that offers a resource and a gateway to connect with local professionals and folks who are both eager to help you find work, eager to help you make connections and really just even advise on the personal, interpersonal decision of returning back to Hawai‘i, which is obviously a high-cost state to live in," she said. "[We are] really seeing this program as an opportunity for folks who are curious about coming home to enter in a community of folks who can help them make that possible."
Dale says the program's website went live in December and an active LinkedIn group is the "cornerstone of the program for the time being." In that group, students or engineering professionals on the Mainland looking to explore opportunities and make connections, and local engineering professionals wanting to help those individuals, can connect. But the chamber is looking to launch a more formal mentorship program in the spring.
So far, Dale says more than 80 local professionals have signed up for the program, while Mainland recruitment efforts have really just started, she said, noting that about a dozen job seekers from the Mainland are currently participating in the program. The chamber is looking to expand that reach in the coming months.
Why is it important for the chamber to focus on bringing kama‘āina back to the Islands?
"I think that out-migration and brain drain is not only a critical workforce issue and a critical economic issue, but I think it's a very personal issue, with people's families having to move away due to the high cost of living, lack of opportunities — all sorts of different reasons," Dale said. "And the chamber, as a voice of business in Hawai‘i, is very invested in making sure that not only Hawai‘i's business community is thriving but the workforce is also thriving."
Businesses interested in joining the initiative or kama‘āina looking for opportunities to return home, visit the program website, join the LinkedIn group, or contact Dale at mdale@cochawaii.org or 808-380-2606.
Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
