Is your curiosity brewing about a new career?
A workforce open house hosted by Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, in partnership with the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board and the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce, will showcase career opportunities with Kona Brewing Co.
The open house will be held from 4:30 to 8. p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at Kona Brewing Co. in Kailua-Kona on Hawai‘i Island. There will be facility tours, career conversations with professionals and networking, as well as appetizers and drinks — and there's still time to RSVP.
Friday's event is open to early- to mid-career professionals 21 and older and will highlight industry careers such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, sales and marketing, a recent announcement from Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i noted.
It's part of the chamber's Kama‘āina Come Home initiative.
The Kama‘āina Come Home program — a job placement program that's trademarked by and used with permission from the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board — launched earlier this year under the chamber's Engineering Sector Partnership. It "reconnects Hawai‘i-raised professionals with career opportunities in-state to address the shortage of skilled professionals," the announcement said.
"This event and partnership with Kona Brewing came directly from Kona, one of our chamber members, who shared that they were experiencing workforce challenges and looking for solutions to source local talent for their engineering, manufacturing and other behind-the-scenes operations roles," McKenna Dale, associate director of Workforce Development at the chamber, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for businesses in Hawai‘i, told Aloha State Daily in an email. "That need aligns perfectly with the goals of Kama‘āina Come Home, which began with a focus on engineering through our Sector Partnership work.
"We’re especially proud to be co-presenting this event with the Hawai‘i Island Economic Development Board, the original visionaries behind the Kamaʻāina Come Home program," she continued. "Together, we’re excited to highlight Kona Brewing as a model for how local employers can build a sustainable workforce by offering meaningful, long-term careers to Hawai‘i Island residents."
As far as what the organizers hope people take away from Friday's program, "We hope people walk away knowing that Hawai‘i Island offers meaningful career opportunities that allow them to stay, grow and thrive in their own community," Dale says. "Kona Brewing is showing that you don’t have to leave home to build a fulfilling career, whether in engineering, manufacturing, sales or other roles, and that local companies are committed to investing in kama‘āina talent and our community."
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Stephanie Salmons can be reached at stephanie@alohastatedaily.com.
