STAND. COM. REP. NO. 71

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 619

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 619 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Education to create a K-12 curriculum to career pipeline initiative in collaboration with the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; and University of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Teachers Association.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that a gap exists between the skills that are needed and expected by employers in the State and the current skill levels of certain sectors of the State's workforce.  Employers have increasingly reported difficulties finding workers with the skills in coding, computer science, engineering, foreign languages, and other related fields to fill technology-based positions.  Your Committee further finds that STEM jobs are expected to grow at an even greater rate in Hawaii than non-STEM jobs in the future.  This measure will help to reduce the skills gap in the State by providing Hawaii's students with greater access to technical skill and STEM training.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 619 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary and Labor.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

 

 

________________________________

MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair