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GCA SPONSORS HAWAII Construction Career Day

l~\ Big Island For the first time in its 9-year history, the Hawaii Construction Career Days (CCD) organization held two events on the neighbor islands in 2015. The first was on Maui on May 1st with more than 600 in attendance, and most recently, the Big Island hosted its 3rd event on October 29th. There were approximately 700 students, teachers, and counselors that attended the event including students from the west side that traveled over an hour to Hilo to participate.

In 2015, the Hawaii CCD organization received an Ahahui Grant from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) in the amount of $10,000. The grant was used to trans­port 26 Kauai students and their teachers to participate on the Big Island. Kapaa, Kauai, and Waimea High Schools joined 23 Big Island public and private schools to do hands-on activities and operate heavy equipment. 'We are so grateful to OHA for the Ahahui Grant. Their support made it possible for Kauai students to fly over, and

General Contractors Association of Hawaii • 2016 Member Directory & Buyers' Guide

they were most appreciative," says Melanie Martin, CCD President.

Along with OHA, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HOOT) co-sponsored the career day using funds from the Federal Highway Administration's On-the-Job Training Supportive Services Program. "This is a workforce development activity that helps HOOT expand its labor pool of qualified workers, and encourages non-traditional workers, such as females, to pursue a career in the industry," says Sal Pan em, District Engineer for the Highways Division's Hawaii District Office. "We are pleased to bring the event to the Big Island for the 3rd time in five years because there is no other event that exposes students to construction like CCD," Panem said. GCA along with other private sponsors also generously donated towards both the Maui and Big Island events.

The format for the Big Island CCD mirrored that of others held on Maui and

Oahu, where students rotated through two areas: 1) exhibitors/trades, and 2) heavy equipment. The exhibitors/trades area fea­tured more than 30 booths including the construction trades, Hawaii Community College, GCA, and many private construc­tion companies. "As an employer, I appreci­ated the opportunity to share information about our company with participants. The event is a great way to get students inter­ested in the industry," says Les Isemoto, President and CEO of Isemoto Contracting Co., Ltd. The equipment area showcased approximately 25 pieces of heavy equip­ment, most of which students operated under close supervision. "We take great pride to ensure that all students are briefed on safety before they get on each piece of equipment," says Isemoto. We want to instill in the students that when they work in this field, safety must be priority one."

There were over 100 volunteers that made this event possible. Organizers

included representatives from the HOOT, Isemoto Contracting Co., Ltd., the Carpenters Union, State Department of Labor & Industrial Relations, Department of Education, GCA, and pri­vate partners. "The Hawaii Construction Career Days organization is grateful to all those who helped plan the events on the neighbor islands this year, and look for­ward to our lOth Anniversary on Oahu next year," said Martin. The Oahu event will showcase careers in architectural, engineering, and construction manage­ment. As such, students in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) program will be encouraged to attend. "We want to dispel the myth that construction work is dirty, labori­ous and low-paying. So our focus will be on professional jobs that require college degrees," said Martin. For more informa­tion about the ceo organization, please visit www.hawaiiccd.com. e

General Contractors Association of Hawaii • 2016 Member Directory & Buyers' Guide 29

Big Island Construction Career Day

30 General Contractors Association of Hawaii • 2016 Member Directory & Buyers' Guide

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