View Point

Saturday, January 23, 1999

School-to-work:
Let it continue
to succeed

Transitional program created
from scratch

By Herb Randall

THOSE of us on the executive council of Hawaii School-to-Work (STW) agree completely with the Star-Bulletin's Jan. 2 editorial referring to the state auditor's report on and recommendations for Hawaii STW. Particularly important was the editorial comment on continued support by the Legislature: "It would be a mistake to withhold funding and thereby close down the operation without giving it a chance to correct its problems."

Despite recent publicity, our fledgling program is not well-known or understood. This five-year federally funded program, that began in Hawaii in 1995, provides students with meaningful, career-related education to help their transition from school to work.

STW makes education relevant to students by giving them real world experience in the work force. It helps kids answer questions like, "Why do I have to learn this?" or "When am I ever going to use that?" Hawaii STW will produce a quality work force that is knowledgeable, skilled and competitive, and which can support economic development and attract new industries.

The program incorporates the components of internships, mentoring programs, vocational rehabilitation, apprenticeships, job shadowing and transition centers in both private and public sectors.

People may not be aware that we are creating this unique statewide system from scratch, without a blueprint or model for reference from Hawaii or anywhere else in the country.

Even though Hawaii STW is the first of its kind in the state, it is ranked as one of the top 10 STW systems in the nation. Beginning with only a handful of schools less than four years ago, it now includes most schools, from elementaries through colleges. It has been so successful, even schools without federal funding are adopting the concept.

All University of Hawaii campuses, several private higher education institutions, more than 99 percent of the public secondary schools, and more than 1,300 employers participate. Hawaii STW has developed a system involving many public-private partnerships, linking work experience with academic achievement and career opportunities.

Middle schools have shown dramatic improvement based on national criteria since its inception in Hawaii. According to local and national STW offices, middle schools went from a 69 percent rate of self-exploration in 1996 to 97 percent in 1997. Improvement also was seen in facilitated exploration (64 to 94 percent) and in structured exploration (17 to 55 percent) during the same period.

Hawaii's high schools have also enhanced their professional skills. When compared to STW systems across the nation, Hawaii exceeded the national average by 12 percent in the use of work-related curriculum, 22 percent higher in the integration of vocational and academic curriculum, and 21 percent higher in work-based learning connected to an integrated curriculum.

BECAUSE of its strengths and achievements, STW was recognized in December 1998 in a letter from Governor Cayetano to attendees of the Third Annual School-to-Work State Conference. Governor Cayetano stated that the system "presents a set of challenges to both those in the community who educate our youth and to those who employ the graduates of our educational system."

All parents want their children to experience an education that provides students with the ability to compete in a high-skill, high-wage environment. Through the Hawaii STW system, our children are exposed to opportunities and skills they might otherwise miss.

Although we would have preferred another year before the audit, we welcome the state auditor's comments because they recommend several areas which can be strengthened.

We are committed to the future of Hawaii's children and their need to compete in the 21st century job market. Hawaii STW administrators and the executive council will do their best to make the necessary adjustments. We are confident that we will satisfy any future audit.

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Herb Randall is the executive director of
the Hawaii School-to-Work program.