HAWAII

KCC gets isle tourism funding

Kapiolani Community College has received $155,580 from the Hawaii Tourism Authority to develop a training program focused on applied Chinese, Japanese and Korean language and culture for the visitor industry.

The initiative is in response to the industry's need to prepare for the arrival of Chinese and Korean visitors to Hawaii, KCC said in a statement earlier this month. The program is now in development and will be rolled out this fall on Oahu, the Big Island, Kauai and Maui.

The funding also will support Hawaiian culture training for youths at the Kalihi Youth Service Center.

UH business award established

The University of Hawaii has established the Eiro and Alice Yamada Endowed Scholarship at the Shidler College of Business. The initial $25,000 gift from the Yamada Scott Family Foundation will be matched with funds from Shidler's matching gift funds, increasing the total value to $50,000.

The scholarship will be available to students majoring in any area of business and those who want to pursue entrepreneurial studies at the Shidler College of Business.

DCCA starts LifeSmarts contest

The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs is accepting teams for its 2008-09 LifeSmarts Consumer Education Competition.

LifeSmarts is a free consumer education competition open to teens in grades 9 through 12. The competition tests students on their knowledge of personal finance, health and safety, the environment, technology, and consumer rights and responsibilities.

Teams may sign up through 5 p.m. on Dec. 7. At the end of the online competition, the top scoring teams will be invited to compete at the state competition to be held in Honolulu on Feb. 7. The winning team is eligible to represent Hawaii at the national competition in St. Louis from April 25-28.