 Welcome to Finding Respect in the Chaos on Think Tecawaii. I'm so glad to be back. I've been out for a little while and I missed being here. I missed being able to bring everybody these important resources that everyone needs. And today I am happy to report that I'm here. Julie Dugan, Julie, welcome. Aloha. Aloha, thank you so much for coming. It's so nice to have you here. Thank you for having me on the show. Well, now you were here about a year ago, a little over a year ago now. And I know there are some exciting things happening with Job Corps, and that's why I wanted you to come back and share some of these amazing things. But first, what I'd like you to do is give us a little recap of how you got involved in Job Corps and what brought you to that job. Sure. Well, actually, I was a brand new to Hawaii. I had worked in the vocational rehabilitation field with disabled adults in the career training industry for many years. I came to Hawaii, and the opportunity came up at Job Corps. And I thought, well, that sounds interesting. Let me give it a go. And Cynthia, that was 29 years ago. Wow. Awesome. Yes. And you're doing such a great job, too. That is so great that you've been doing that this long. Because I think that that kind of continuity is important to keep the programs sort of consistent, because that's kind of the way people can learn to trust and count on them. Exactly, exactly. So I've been the face of Job Corps for many years. And such a beautiful face, too. That's so wonderful. Wow. OK, so if you had to pick one thing that was your favorite part of your job, what would it be? Just the fabulous students and staff over the years. I feel blessed, privileged, to find a career that has a purpose. I believe in the mission. And it sounds a little bit corny, but I love going to work and supporting people's missions. I don't think it sounds corny at all. I think it sounds beautiful. I love that. Wouldn't it be wonderful if everybody, when they went to work, could feel that way about their jobs? Because then I think that we'd really raise the level of happiness and contentedness in people. Because if they really liked, your job is three quarters of your life. You don't like your job. Shoot, that's a big chunk of your life to not be happy with. So Job Corps kind of helps people decide and discover what would be a good job for them. What is something they would like to do and enjoy doing later on, right? Give us a little background on Job Corps. A little history. Well, number one, we're the nation's premier career and technical training program. Wow. It's a well-established program. It's been around since 1964. Wow. It was part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty. That's amazing. Wait. Wow, that's interesting. So other programs besides Job Corps that are still in existence is Head Start, the community health centers. OK. And Head Start, that's the little kids, right? The child care ones, yeah. Correct. Community health centers, adult basic education, so the adult schools. So we're a well-established program. Right. We're not a fly-by-night career training program. We've been around for many, many years. We have full support. We're operated by the Department of Labor. Oh, wow. So our tax payers, our tax dollars, hard at work. So we do have congressional support across on both sides of the aisle. It's an expensive program to operate because it's a residential program. So we have two beautiful campuses that I'll share more about later. I'm sorry to interrupt, but when you say residential, you mean the kids come and actually live there while they're going through the change? They can live on campus, or they can commute. They have the option. The majority of our students live there. So the reason why it's an expensive program to operate, all their basic needs are taken care of so they can concentrate full-time on their career training. So they've got food and lodging and medical care and everything else, too? Basic medical care, all of their uniforms, all of the certifications, which I'll talk more in a little bit, all their certifications, job placement assistance. What are the ages? 16 to 24. 16 to 24, wow. Our basic criteria is 16 to 24 from low-income backgrounds. And we follow the federal lower living standard, the poverty guidelines. So if someone were to qualify for welfare, food stamps, things like that, they're probably qualified for our program. So young adults from low-income backgrounds that are in need of either academic and or career and technical training. So how does it work with immigrants? Do they have to be US citizens in order to do this? They have to be able to live and reside in Hawaii. So our main population is young people from the Hawaiian Islands, and we serve all of the outer islands, but also throughout the Pacific. It's part of the compact of the free association. So basically, when the United States needed some of the areas for missile testing years ago, one of the agreements was to train their youth. So we also work with Guam, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Marshall Islands. Oh, wow, yeah, that's big. So it's a whole melting pot, so a lot of cultural diversity happening on center. And that's perfect because we're preparing them for the workplace. And here in Hawaii, every workplace has a lot of cultural diversity. Right, exactly. So it's kind of getting them ready. That's wonderful. Oh my gosh, I just love hearing about all of this. So it started, was there a specific state it started in after, or was it just a national program that started immediately? It was a national program. Again, it was signed into legislation in 1964. Here in Hawaii, we opened up our first job corps two years later in 1966. And over the years, we've had sites on Kauai, Big Island. Currently, our main campus is here on Oahu. And then we have a satellite campus of country Maui and Makawau. Oh, OK. That's great. I think we've even got some. I think it came on the screen here for us, too, that people can see where to get in touch with you. There it is in the Maui Job Corps and then the Oahu one so that people know who to call. And so 16, this is before they even graduate from high school. So do you help with that, too? Sure. So again, we work with 16 to 24-year-olds. People always ask me, what's the typical profile of a job corps student? Well, we have from A to Z young people. We have some high school graduates that might not be able, again, we're talking low income individuals. Maybe they might not be able to forward to go on to a voc tech school on their own or college. Job corps might be the place for them. They could come in, study one of our nine career pathways. And nine at Waimanalo. And then we have four at our Maui site. So we have high school graduates. And then we have people that maybe have dropped out of high school for whatever reason. And then they realize, I can't get any type of job these days without a high school diploma. They could come back. We could help them finish their high school diploma, put them in one of our career pathways. So we have both high school dropouts or high school graduates. I've had students that come in that have started college. And for one reason or the other had to drop out. A lot of times, it's financially. They come through job corps. They could complete one of our pathways. We even have a college program, Cynthia. Oh, wow. So once they've finished the basics, they could start their college career while residing on campus, having all their basic needs taken care of while they start their college career. Right now, we have 13 students at the Waimanalo site that have finished the basics that are attending either Winward Community College or Capulani Community College. Nice. Yes, so they can get a start on their college career while receiving all the benefits of job corps. So they get this vocational thing and they can still work on academics at the same time. Correct. That is amazing. So I have a question for you about what's happening with our new, that's his name, Acosta. Isn't he the labor guy? I remember who our new labor secretary is. But I know they're making lots of changes to all of these kinds of programs. Have you guys been affected by this? We have not. I'm so glad. Yes. Well, because year after year, as appropriations change, we're always at risk of getting on the chopping block. But job corps, I'm proud to say, every year, we get continued funding, usually at the same or higher level, but we're accountable. We're accountable to Congress. They want to see outcomes. Sure. Like I said, it's an expensive program to operate. So every year when we get continued funding, or we have to this point, they raise the bar. They want to see outcomes. How many students actually successfully complete the program? How many of the young people that come in, how many completed their high school diploma? How many completed their career and technical training program? What type of industry-recognized certifications are you providing them? And then it doesn't end there. So that's why they're in the program. Once they graduate, our staff are responsible to make sure they do something with the skills, whether it be starting that first career, going right into employment, continuing on with college. Maybe they want a career in the military. We assist them in preparing them for that. Maybe they're interested in apprenticeship. Or they might be interested in going to continuing their job corps education at centers on the mainland. Or they can do that? They can transfer to a different center somewhere? So at the job corps, and all of our nine different career pathways, they leave with some type of industry-recognized certification that employers are looking for. So once they finish the basics, and they don't want to stop there, since a lot of times, this is the first time these young people have been successful in a learning environment. So they get all fired up, and they're thriving. They want to excel. So they can continue on to the mainland and get higher levels of certification with everything being provided for them. How wonderful is that. Even the travel cost. Would that be provided also? Everything. Wow. A lot of them choose to come back to Hawaii or the Pacific Islands and go to work afterwards. But some choose to stay on the mainland and utilize their skills there. That's remarkable. So it just doesn't stop at the Hawaii Center. There's so many more opportunities. And we're seeing many more students take full advantage of them. Right. Yeah. So about how many students do you get in one program? How many can you guys have at one time? So we have, like I said, nine different career pathways, and usually 20 to 25 in each. Because everyone has a different schedule, Cynthia. I might come in and need to work on my high school diploma and one of my career choices. So I might be half-time education, half-time in my career. You might come in as a high school graduate. You could go right into, let's say, culinary arts, for example, and finish that in eight to 10 months. Wow. That's fast. That's amazing. Maybe go to the mainland. Maybe continue on with college. There's so many opportunities. Wow. Listen, I know we've got a little video that I'd like to play. So let's watch this little video that you brought for us. I think it's a really good one. Let's watch that video now. We all have dreams, big dreams, of who we know we want to be, of what we know we can do. And there's a way to get there. But the price of admission isn't money. It's the desire to succeed. Success takes skill. Skill takes training. Training takes work. If you're ready to learn, train, and work, Job Corps is ready for you. These Job Corps students can tell you it's real. Job Corps. Careers begin here. Aloha. My name is Victoria, and I'm a host at the Adventures in Small Business. This is a collaboration between US Small Business Administration, Hawaii District Office, and its partners, where we showcase the stories of local entrepreneurs in small businesses, talk about how to start a business, talk about great tips for small business owners. Please join us every Thursday, 11 a.m. at Think Tech, Hawaii. Can you say mahalo? Aloha. This is Rob Hack. My show is exporting from Hawaii every other Thursday from 12 to 12 30 p.m., where I bring in people involved in the entire exporting infrastructure in Hawaii, including government, academia, and manufacturers and shippers themselves. Please join me every other Thursday, 12 to 12 30 p.m., and exporting from Hawaii. Mahalo. Welcome back to Finding Respect in the Chaos here on Think Tech, Hawaii. I'm here with Julie Dugan from Job Corps, and this is some really important stuff for everybody out there, so I'm glad you stayed with us. So Julie, I know you want to tell us more about the actual sites, and I know everybody needs to hear it too, so give us some more information, specific information. Sure. Like I said, currently we have two centers or two campuses. Our main campus is Anahu in Waimanalo, beautiful view of the Koalau Mountain Range, where we have room in our dormitories for a little over 200 students, 211, to be exact. 200 people? I had no idea that it was that big. And beautiful, open-air dormitories, and then we usually have at any given time about 15 students, for whatever reason, decide to commute each day. And a lot of those are young parents. And so. Right, so they need to go home for their kids. Correct. OK. And when we were over at, we've been in our current location for 26 years. 26 years, that's awesome. We were over at Cocoa Head before for many years. And young people that had children, unless they had childcare, they couldn't participate in our program. So when we built to the Waimanalo site, we incorporated a childcare center. So those young mothers and fathers that need childcare can come, study. They know that their cake year being taken care of. They're at the center. They can concentrate full-time on their career and technical training. And how important is that for young parents to be able to have a career so they can provide for their kids? Correct. It's so amazing. And you know all the money that you say it's a very expensive program. But these people, if they were just out with no job, or just crummy job because they don't have any kind of training, can't really support their families so they're using welfare, they're using food stamps. So we're saving money and all of that, too, with some of the social programs by giving them these certifications. Exactly. And the studies, they don't have a recent study, but I still believe it holds firm is that for every dollar invested in a job course student, the return is a little over $2. Because again, these are young people from low-income backgrounds. Many of them on welfare, different social service roles. And our job is to give them the skills to become tax-paying citizens employed, paying into the tax base. And I think that's one of the reasons why each year we get continued funding. Right. Sure, why not? It works. Because you're making a difference. Exactly. And that's so important. And it's a financial difference also. It's not just a social difference. Correct. Because it is a big social difference, too, because you're making a huge social impact for these people and for the greater community around them, too. And they don't just go into entry-level fast food jobs afterwards. So at our Waimanalo site, we have nine different career pathways. We have a nurse assistant program. That's huge. Certified nurse assistant. There's a huge need in the medical field. Right. Now there is here, especially in Hawaii, because we have an aging generation that's just needing that help and wants to stay in their own homes, but can't unless they have a nurse's aid that can come in help. Exactly. So that's a huge need here. In that program, they come in. They get the classroom instruction. They get the hands-on internships at different facilities. We pay for the certification, which I think is almost up to $500 these days. Wow. So they leave as a certified nurse assistant. That's big. Everything taken care of. Another trade we have that's in high demand that we just established maybe three years ago is a security and protective services trade. So the state of Hawaii went to a requirement if every security guard in every facility needs to hold what they call a guard card. Oh, wait, wait, wait. I've heard of that. And so Job Corps already had an established program. So we established that at the center. And Cynthia, we can't produce the security guards fast enough for the employers. So they leave there in good paying jobs, certifications. Some of the other ones we have is a medical office support. So in every office, you have a medical administrative assistant. Sure. We train for that. We train. There's good money in that. Yes. We train in the construction trade. So building and construction technologies. Oh, and that's big here, too, because of all the remodels and all that. Industrial painting. Oh, that's especially huge. Everybody has to paint their house every couple of years here. Landscaping. That's another huge one. These are all really important, not just important, but very specific things that are needed here. So they're not just these random jobs that I can't get here anyway. These are really important jobs here. So the last two trades I wanted to tell our viewers and you about is we have an automotive trade. Oh, that's big. And culinary arts. Another big one. Wow. And then you see something about a new one with hotels or something that's going to start? That's going to be at our Maui site. So at our Maui site, we currently have four trades. We have culinary arts, the building and construction technologies, office administration, which we also have at Waimanalo. But we're expanding our retail trade. We had a retail trade, but that kind of pigeonhole them into just retail sales. Now retail, like going to work at Ross or a phone or work at Macy's, doing that kind of retail. Our employers across the island said, there's a need for hotel hospitality, hotel and lodging. So we're talking about jobs, front desk, front office. That's everything here. I mean, think of what he did. The stewards, the housekeeping, good paying jobs, a lot of them union jobs. Now, especially after the big strike that we had, the big strike that we had downtown. Correct. So now everybody's getting a much better benefits, much better pay, all of that. So that's a really important person to have. So we're just establishing that at our Maui site. But you don't have to be a young person living on Maui. Anyone can attend either site. It depends on my interest in the career trades. So if I came in and I live here on Oahu, and I wanted to do that trade, I wanted to go into the hospitality hotel trade, would you fly me to Maui to go to the classes? Correct. Oh, wow. So it doesn't matter if they're not on that island. They can still get there. No. We want to make sure we're meeting their career goals. So if I'm interested in the hospitality and lodging, I would go over to the Maui site. Again, it's a little bit smaller. There's 128 students that live in the dorms there. A beautiful, up-country Makawal. Oh, wow. So both are pristine campuses. Nice. So both sites. And we're definitely promoting the new trade that's just opening up on Maui. OK, now you have tours. You said something about having a tour. We have tours every Thursday. At Waimanalo, we have tours every Thursday at 9. So if you're a young person, a young person's family members, school counselors, anyone that might want to find out more every Thursday at 9 o'clock, you can give us a call because we'd like to know in advance if we can be ready. And at the Maui site every Thursday at 10 o'clock. OK, so people, you can go out and you can see what's happening. You can see what we're talking about with your own eyes. So if you've got one of your kids, or if you're between 18 and 16, sorry, 16 and 24, you have a chance to do this, too. And so tell us a little bit more about what the application process is. Sure. Again, the basic qualifications are age and income level and the need for academic and career training. So first step is to come, take a tour, see what we have to offer. Because sometimes we might have overzealous parents that think their young adult needs the program. We have to have the buy-in of the applicant. Right. And a kid has to be the one that wants to do this. Right. And on those tours, they're able to hear from young people that are currently in the program. So they're just not hearing from the instructors or myself and what a fabulous program it is. They're hearing from other young people. And that, I think, would be everything to have. Powerful. Yeah, very powerful. Very compelling for them to hear it from someone else. Sure. So they come and take the tour. If they want to proceed with the application process, like I said, it is a federal program. So there's a lot of checks and balances. We have to make sure that they are. So age, income, we take care of basically the whole individual. So all their basic medical, dental, any special needs they have are taken care of. So we need to know about the whole individual. So we need school records. We need immunization shots. If I have any special medical needs, then we might ask for more information from your doctor. Or dyslexia or something like that in there. You can help that. Correct. We want to make sure we can service the young individual. Safety is key. We have 200 individuals living and working seven days a week. That's huge. So safety is huge. So we do have to run background checks. Just like on. Absolutely. Of course you would. Just like on any job. You run a background check. We also run drug screens. Because these days, everyone, you have to. Have to know if they're on drugs anyway. So we need to know that they've had clear background checks and that they're not using any type of drugs. Because we have zero tolerance for drugs, alcohol, and violence. That's the way it should be. Yes, exactly. I think we've got some graphics that we can show, too, right? Sure. Yeah, like this one here that kind of shows a little bit about what we're talking about. This one shows that we have immediate openings. We are one of 126 job corps centers across the nation. Wow, that's a lot. Yes. Again, we serve a 16 to 24-year-old. Our job corps tags. You can train, live, learn, and connect. And our tagline, careers begin here. Right. Right. Sure. And they do. You know, I have a story a little bit about job corps. I had a, when I was the children's minister working with kids for about six years in inner city, Mobile, Alabama. And there was this one girl. And she went all the way through high school, which was just a miracle for where she grew up, rising up above the fray, so to speak. And then she went, actually, to a trade school to learn to be a massage therapist who couldn't get any jobs or anything else. She was still the right age. So she applied to job corps, went to Kentucky to job corps, and then came back with all these degrees and certifications and went to work with the kids in the neighborhood where she grew up, helping the kids. So she went all the way through. And it was partly job corps that helped her learn how to give back. And I thought that was just such an amazing story. She went back to her home area. She went back to her home neighborhood of inner city, very low income, predominantly black, just amazing girl, just amazing girl. And so what job corps did for her was a real big turnaround for her. It was really great. I was so proud of her. Nice. Well, we definitely believe in our graduates. And currently, I believe we have 12 graduates that we have employed that are full time staff members. They came back and worked for job corps. Now, you have openings for job corps. So we only have a few minutes left. But tell us how somebody could go and apply if they wanted to. Sure. They can go to our website at mtctrains.com or they can contact me directly. And I think we've got a, there you go right there. Contact her directly. Contact me directly. It's a great place to work. You wake up every morning with a purpose, a fabulous mission, great staff. And I can say that a lot of our staff have been with us for many years. They're dedicated, enthusiastic, and they care about every young person that walks through the door to help them meet their career goals. They're going to make me cry. It's so important that it sets, I think, everybody should be touched by their story. And the young people feel that. They come from a variety of backgrounds. They might not have had the support. So our staff not only act as academic instructors, career instructors, but mentors, friends, aunties, uncles. That's so important. Thank you so much for coming, Julie. I really appreciate you coming and sharing all this important information with us. I know we're just about out of time, but I want to thank everybody for joining us today here on Finding Respect in the Chaos. I'm Cynthia Sinclair, and this is Think Tech Hawaii. Please come back and join me week after next at 12 o'clock right here.