 Aloha, and welcome to Work Reimagine, streaming live on ThinkTech Hawaii, brought to you from Honolulu, Hawaii. Why do we need to reimagine work? Well, as we know, we're facing massive disruptions to our labor markets due to automation and now the pandemic. On Work Reimagine, I talked to innovators and entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions that help us navigate the effects of these disruptions while making a positive social impact in people's lives and in our communities. I'm Ruby Menon, your host, and my guest today is Keahi Selhorst. He's the program director for the Purple Maya Hiappo program, and Purple Maya is actually a nonprofit and Hiappo is kind of sits in that umbrella of services that they offer. And this is a specific special workforce development program that offers free training to learn the Salesforce administrator platform. Did you know the Salesforce ecosystem is predicted to create 3.3 million new jobs worldwide by 2022? Well, now you know. Salesforce is the hot new career path for those that are in a career transition or looking to reskill. The Hiappo program's vision is to create a new generation of skilled tech workers from often overlooked segments of our community and provide them with better career opportunities, training, and ultimately economic growth. I'll be talking to Keahi about the Hiappo program and the organization's mission to provide career training in Salesforce. Keahi, I'm so excited to have you on the show and full disclosure, as you know, I'm one of your students. I'm enrolled in the Hiappo program to learn Salesforce and in my opinion, Hiappo is a model for workforce development programs that could be emulated nationwide to help people reskill into high demand tech career. So Keahi, Aloha, and welcome. Aloha, thank you for having me. I really appreciate your time. Well, it's great to have you because I think that this is the best kept secret in Hawaii right now and happy to try to, you know, get the word out. So I'd love to just dive in and learn a little bit more about you actually and what your career path trajectory was, how did you actually wind up being the program director for the Hiappo program? Wow. Okay, that's a great question. So I've always been a nontraditional student very early, even in high school, early college, I had professors asking if I wanted to get into computer science and at the time, I'm a bit older. That was the answer to that was absolutely not I'm going to be a lifeguard in Hawaii. And so I never wanted to be in front of a computer for eight to 12 hours a day. When I studied finance at University of Hawaii, I got into radio. That doesn't pay very well. So I got into banking which made more sense. And at the bank, I sat in front of a computer for eight to 12 hours every single day. So exactly the job that I was trying to avoid I landed it. And I thought, you know, I've always been good at computer science and programming. Why don't I try to relearn those skills. And so I did, and I quit banking, and I jumped in and went back to school, learn some things. I went to the Dead League boot camp where I graduated in about five, six years now. And that took me to blue startups where I created with some help, of course, create a company that tried to break out. And that's where I met Donovan K Aloha who is the founder, one of the founders of purple mile. And he heard that I was homeschooling my child at the time and asked if I could add some students. And then we added several schools. So I've been there quite a yeah I've been there quite a long time teaching different things web development video game development. We still have a very strong youth program for tech education and training. And now of course, we've grown into workforce development for adults. And I was happy to take on this position. I mean, I've been part of the purple Maya purple prize family for a few years now, and I was always jealous about those computer programs that the kids are going to because I kept on thinking she had to learn that stuff too and I think I started, you know, like bugging people about like when you guys can have some adult programs they should talk to Manu about it. And here we are. We used to get inquiries from parents all the time. So the same thing right. My child getting a great education with you but what can I do. Exactly, because we all need to be skills not just for the kids right and we all have a lot of talents to offer. So let's talk a little bit about the he apple program. Maybe want to start with just kind of giving us a general overview purple Maya because he apple kind of sits under purple Maya so people have like a context of the different programs you offer. Yeah, it absolutely does so purple Maya foundation as basically a three prong approach right so we've got the kind of program which you understand to be the youth education and training. Of course, he apple which is the workforce that development for adults, and then we have purple prize as well which is our community investment arm. So those three divisions, mainly make up what is known as purple Maya foundation. So then the he apple program then is fairly new. Right, I think it just started like, is it is it a year old yet or not. Not even one year old. Wow, baby steps. So let's talk about that what. I think the seed idea behind this, and why did you land on Salesforce I mean there's a lot of tech skills you know you hear about all the coding boot camps and things like that. So what made you decide on Salesforce as the platform to learn. Well, when we decided to do adult training right the the opportunity arose that we could help household incomes increase within the state right so there is a brain drain going on in the state. There are plenty of talented individuals here who are just looking for that opportunity. COVID and everything that it brought with it actually opened opportunities for for Hawaiians and locals to work remotely in technology. And so Salesforce is perfectly positioned for to step into that role. There is a great demand for Salesforce here within the islands but also internationally, and we are uniquely situated between continental US and Asia to take advantage of the time zone. So, you know, we saw a need, and we're trying to fill it. Now Salesforce, as I mentioned at the very beginning of the program is definitely a high demand. One of the things that we meant you mentioned to us the students is that there's quite a need for Salesforce admins here locally in Hawaii, but also seems like worldwide and especially now with pandemic and people being able to work remotely. It doesn't even seem like you'd be limited to just your geographical location could be a Salesforce admin just about anywhere. The one thing that that's so interesting about the he apple program though is that you are targeting underserved populations. Can you talk a little bit more about that and how do you recruit people like what's your recruitment process. Yeah, so we were very fortunate to be awarded a native Hawaiian education program grant. We administered through the Department of Education on the federal level. We have a three year grant to focus on native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders up skill them mentor them and get them higher paying jobs. So, our program focuses on that demographic but we are not limited to just native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders so we reach out via social media to those communities. So, whoever's in those communities are also welcome right we help one house we help everyone. And are you have certain metrics like in terms of how many students you need to enroll in the program and then you know what we know enrollments are one thing but you know actual completion and all of that. What type of metrics are you looking at. The program focuses on certifications. And we find that that typically opens the door for interviews. And then of course our apprenticeship and continued support to gain experience is the probably the most important right. We know our graduates are qualified because we put them through the the paces, we've given them projects to do. And we have found and we've gotten responses back from our employer partners that they are that they're our graduates are definitely, you know, more than just junior intern level right they are ready to work and are eager to do so. Wow, that's impressive. So that was kind of leads into my question. So after the training so the they go through the boot camp, they get their certification and then you do you actually help people find jobs or they kind of on their own or what does that look like. No, absolutely we, you know wrap around career services is very much a part of what we do. So, once you're a student with us, you're a student for life, and we will do whatever it takes to make you successful or whatever your definition of success is. For most people that is a decent paying job, which they can support their family, hopefully on just one income. Yeah. Well, that's, you know, it seems like such a high aspiration these days but really that's just basic survival right so you know people can do that and the jobs are there. That's, that's pretty. No, that's definitely what's needed to help the economy drive the economy. Now, besides Salesforce. Are you looking at any other types of programs like what's the future look like because you have a three year pro three year grand I guess right so are you just going to stick with Salesforce the entire time or are there going to be other offerings. There are planned offerings in the future. We are in discussions about maybe a Amazon, AWS, some sort of service and or Academy, we're not yet qualified to say we are a partner but we are working on it. We're working about web technologies there is a demand for web developers, you know that's that used to be very popular. And unfortunately companies just aren't willing to pay to have an in house web dev team. So if you have heard from the market, they could definitely use a local web developing company, so they're not having time differences or communication breakdowns with offshore companies as well. So there's lots of opportunity and we are trying to, you know, fill in the pukas where we can. Wow. Is the web development company, will that be a spin off from purple Maya or is that going to or from the apple program or is that just going to be their own separate entity. I guess what I'm asking is are you guys like actually, or I don't know maybe maybe it's a secret and you don't want to see. I mean we are a nonprofit. And we are we do have resources that allow us to really attack these problems without the worry of revenue. At some point in the next few years if we aren't able to obtain more funding that we may have to think about a different business model for sure. Yeah, because I was thinking on the side maybe you could just have these web dev shops or, you know, other things. Now I know that the being in Salesforce I can tell you it's, you know, I have to say that when I first approach it I thought what's a big deal it's a database right because I've had some exposure to database but boy, it's a lot more than that. So, and it certainly made has made me humble. So I wanted to understand what for our listeners, what are the requirements to get into Salesforce like do you have to have some type of background computer science degree like, how do you, how do you get into this. You don't need any of those things. I think having a computer science degree or comfort in a digital realm is positive for you, you know, and you're in success in this program for sure. But I think anyone can do this. The biggest issue that we have is people actually seeing themselves in this role right if I know that they're competent I know they can do it. There is a mental barrier when you say tech in Hawaii right. Typically, our clientele and our users don't see themselves in that role. And so it's my job to kind of communicate the correct message and switch mindset to your locally and let them know that yes, you can do this as well. I have another question as an instructor. Do you, how much of your time I mean there's obviously the technical skills right but then it could be frustrating trying to learn the platform and so how much of your time are you spending as an instructor just doing like pep talks or morale boosters or you can do it rah rah, you know just try to because I'm sure like so many people just feel like oh my God I'm just not cut for this, you know, and want to drop out. So just kind of curious as to how much of your time does that you wind up doing some of them. Yeah, I mean, student support is important. And I take it very seriously so I don't measure it in exact like percentages of time of my day. I do notice that you know getting closer to graduation, and obviously after graduation when they're out looking for a job or applying for our apprenticeship. I typically give them more of my time and resources, but it's a part of the package right the education training is important, but it's not as important as you know building self esteem building a good work ethic those those are much more valuable. Oh, absolutely and I think a big part of it like you said, is the barrier. When people think about tech jobs, they just automatically, you know, like let's say somebody in hospitality that maybe was in a restaurant industry might never see themselves in that role. And a big part of that I think is just the identity piece right like they're where they're able to actually visualize or envision themselves doing this type of work because it's so different from what they were before. So, I think that's such a huge part of it and I'm just kind of curious as to how are you overcoming that, that barrier of, you know, maybe the identity piece or maybe the maybe not calling it tech I don't know like, or the whole language piece like what, what are you finding is is working to tell the story a little bit different so that people feel like they can dip their toe in that water. Yeah, that's a great question. Thank you. So recently because we have addressed. I love we've addressed that issue we did recognize that issue. And so recently we've launched a social media campaign, we just actually ended it this week. And the Hawaiian students actually tell their own story, and their own frustrations, and what they're going through both as a student and as a graduate, who is, you know, who I got hired on after graduating, you know, what were their frustrations. They tell themselves if they could speak to themselves six months ago right. So I think that's important is having people that look like you sound like you and are from the same neighborhood, showing you what's possible, you know, no one listens to me I'm just a guy you know I'm a Hawaiian from a mainland. I grew up a bit different right I have strong ties here, but since I opened my mouth, everyone knows that I wasn't raised here. So I don't always, I'm not always seen right as from the same cloth, but when we show our students who came from these industries right it's one of our most successful students came from tourism. Many successful students, you know, I talked about game development before we have partners that have hired service industry to learn how to make video games. Yes, we're focused on Salesforce now but I'm telling you, if you have the willingness to learn, anyone can do it. And even single moms, especially single mothers. Yeah, it's a bit tougher when you have to watch the little ones for sure, and you have to make time to study, and it's definitely grueling. I can put you in contact with some of our graduates and they'll let you know how hard it was, but it was definitely worth it in the end. Yeah. Now, you know a big part of these bootcamps is you and as you said you know you're trying to prepare people as much as possible with real life projects and things like that. But a big part of it I think is also just kind of getting the practical experience. So what is the trajectory after the person, the student completes the program gets a certification. I mean obviously that I don't know I mean I don't know if employers would hire them right off the bat. After that, or do they actually have to go and get some practical experience for like a year or what does that picture look like. So to be fair, you know our program is not that old like you said, so we haven't quite proven ourselves. So, you know hiring partners don't know yet what to expect, but I will say that those that have hired our graduates. They are seeing what they're capable of. They are surprised pleasantly. Right. They may have an intern title. But you know because they're experienced they worked in other industry, they understand how business works right in the end Salesforce is just a system and a platform to create more efficient flows in business. So if you've ever done business you understand how it works. Then you can do Salesforce right again it's not code. It's what's called declarative which is drag and drop, making things happen. Now the Apple program is a bit different right so we were not just turning certifications out we're not just teaching to the test so to speak. Those things do exist right you give them five days, you study your tail off, and then you pass the exam, and that's great. When you go into the interview, and the Salesforce, you know the senior Salesforce manager asked you a Salesforce question, or how you might solve this or show me how you would build this, they have no clue because they've actually never opened Salesforce. So the benefits of our program is you know personal projects group project collaboration, you know learning the tools of communication, learning how to conduct yourself within a business in the group, and then getting the hands on experience and so our apprenticeship, which is now built for six months experience really puts our our princess to the test right. So we're working on real world projects, both nonprofit and for profit companies that want to utilize our resources, you know they contact us, and they can hire directly, or they can hire through our nonprofit. Wow, that's excellent. Now, let's talk a little bit about the profile for a student and we you're pretty much saying that anybody can try this. What kinds of personal qualities would you say the individual needs to have in order to really get through this entire process and get to the other side of this. I would say it's the same thing that your high school counselor said right time management organization, right making time to do the work and giving yourself enough space to learn it. It's very difficult if you're working a 40 hour job, and you're a single mother, and you want to do this program, it's a lot. And so the stress of it may may cause you to break down for sure. But we do have, you know, resources like I said, we have a program to help those that qualify. So if you know if you're out of work and you're looking for something this, this is definitely for you. Yeah, I honestly, I mean, if I was a single mom and working a full time job is nowhere. I'm already stressed out without those things so you know like the other morning I bolted up at five o'clock in the morning trying to solve one of the problems so can only imagine. You know, if any of those other conditions would exist so if any, there are single moms that I know have gone through this program and I bow down to them because I know this is really really tough. And that takes a lot of grit so. Now one of the things I wanted to talk about with getting closer time but maybe I have about five more minutes with you is the labor market that exists in Hawaii are there. What about their sales force positions all over the world but what does the labor market look like here. Are there a lot of companies that are using sales force and if so like what types of industries have you seen. There are many organizations here locally that are using sales force at the top of my head it's probably over 200. And some of those are quite large right so banks, airlines, you know vehicle distribution companies, governments right so there's a lot of opportunity. Because our market for for this particular niche was so, you know underserved, there is a tendency to go outside and look for talent. And so we, that's what we're trying to solve for right, we have talent here, right. We have to support, because purple mind he oppose here to support them and whatever they need to get accomplished. And so, before you look elsewhere look here first. And you know the best case scenario is that we saturate this market and force Hawaiians to go out and find contracts elsewhere right let's bring money from the mainland here. Let's bring funds from Asia here. That's the dream. Now you said that you've already established partnerships with some of the employers. The, so these partnerships are they partnerships so that they could potentially hire the students that are coming out of the apple program. Yeah, so as you can imagine right we are turning talented hungry professionals and companies are interested in hiring them. Not every company needs a certified admin right now. But some companies are willing to train for the position that they're looking for. So having sales force experience is a plus. I've heard as desperate as just send me anyone who you think would be good and will train them in sales force. I have to remind them that that's not what we do. We sent them trained already to you. And if you want to give them additional resources and education and training that'd be great. And do you find that the employers are open to that concept. Yeah, so, so far so good. I think there will be a time, you know, you asked me before you know what about what's our, our KPIs are our quotas are numbers that we're supposed to be doing to adhere to our grant. And it's, it's, it's large on the scale of what the ecosystem in Hawaii is now right. So if we're graduating 40 students a year, and we're pushing 30 of them to get certified. You know, that's double the market every year. And so there will be a point where there's too many qualified individuals. And so again, that's probably when we'll start focusing on other complimentary services, or instead of going wider we go deeper with stronger, you know, Salesforce developer certifications architect solution. So the ecosystem is quite large. Now we don't know that covert has forced some major changes in a lot of our business models so curious to find out what impact covert has had on the program. Yeah, well this was supposed to be in class right with laptops that we provide and you know we were going to try to get people to come into town into our location and actually do it together as a group. You know, obviously, we're all leaning on zoom these days or or teams or whatever you're using. So everything is done digitally which has its challenges for sure. You know, not everyone has high speed internet at home. Now everyone has a decent laptop to do the things that are necessary to be successful. So we do try to, you know, lend out our resources or help out in any way that we can. But yeah, it's, it's, it's challenging now to answer your question specifically though, covert has actually made it more possible for us to teach this course I think because maybe qualified individuals wouldn't have even thought of it because they were working on people doing their job. Maybe it was unhappily, but it was still a paycheck that they could count on and they didn't have time or energy to pursue another career. But now, now's the time and so we're able to reach folks that we might not have been. Wow. Well, you know that's, there's always a silver lining to some of the worst problems that we've had so that's certainly a good one. But we're going to need to wrap it up and I wanted to let people know how they can get in touch with you or with the program. What, what's the best place to go to get more information. Yeah, definitely check out our website purple money.org. There is, you can do slash the app on and goes right into our Salesforce training website. We have three programs. There's a three week introduction so you can learn about Salesforce without committing the full three months that we require later, and then after our 12 week intensive, you can apply for our apprenticeship. Applications are open now so check out the website, or you can email me at ke a h i purple money.org, or you can give me a call my cell phone 808 7289918. Oh boy, your phone's going to be off the hook now. Okay, he thank you so much for your time I really appreciate you telling us more about the program. And if anybody is thinking about joining this, I would say that this is one of the best investments you can probably make. It's been a wild journey for me I'm still in the middle of it and I can tell you that there's times when I started wondering if I was cut out for this but it. It teaches you so much perseverance grit everything so it's a great program and highly encourage you to go and check it out at purple Maya.org. And thank you all for being here and for checking out this new program in Hawaii, and check back for our next show on Wednesday, March 10 at 3pm. Until next time, please be safe and take care of one another. Aloha.