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High-tech job The job seekers were mostly recent graduates from Iolani, Punahou and Kamehameha schools, now working on college degrees on the mainland.
expo tries to stem
brain drain
Talented, locally grown
workers are sought at a
Punahou eventBy Harold Morse
Star-BulletinThe 25 high-tech companies were looking for talented, locally grown workers -- and convincing them to come home and work in the islands.
An estimated 1,000 job seekers networked with potential employers at a job fair aimed at stemming the "brain drain" that has seen many of the best and brightest Hawaii graduates leave for jobs on the mainland.
Although invitations to the event at Punahou School were heavily pitched to graduates of the past five years from Iolani, Punahou and Kamehameha, others attended, too.
"I really want to see the opportunities here," said Michael Fe Benito, a 1997 Waianae High School graduate and University of Hawaii senior in electrical engineering. He wants to work in a changing environment, to always learn new things and "just to be creative," he said.
Iolani graduate and University of Southern California engineering freshman Sara Nakasone wants a summer internship. "I've found some that I'm interested in, that I'm going to apply for," she said.
Bert Lum, Network Enterprise president, told young prospects his firm helps small companies get content onto the Internet. "Most of the guys who are working with us are in engineering or in sciences," he said. "With basic sciences you can pick up stuff pretty easily." Starting salaries run from $30,000 to $40,000, based on experience, education and interest level.
Rona Yap, Maryknoll '99 and University of Oregon computer science sophomore, and Melissa Yamaguchi, Punahou '99 and Dartmouth biochemistry sophomore, were among the listeners.
Nola Miyasaki of High Technology Development Corp., a state agency, planned the fair to coincide with winter vacations. Yesterday's 4:30-7 p.m. time was critical "because people on vacation want to spend the day at the beach," she said.
Science & Technology International (STI) representatives told prospective employees that its technique essentially takes the light spectrum and splits it into different components. Infrared and ultra-violet light can digitally locate a missing person in the open sea, the company says. The technique also may detect skin cancer and throat cancer.
"We can find land mines and sea mines," added senior scientist Mike Deweert. "The Navy is paying us to develop the technology so they can use it in beach clearing," such as on Kahoolawe.
"We've flown over there and looked for unexploded shells and unexploded mines," Deweert said.
It wasn't surprising to have Zippy's restaurant catering the event, but the newly high-tech company was talking up opportunities as well.
Zippys.com's representative noted the venerated eatery does a steady business shipping island favorites like chili, Portuguese bean soup, laulau and kalua pig to the mainland.