S.R. NO. 29 Summary

• Requests the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Workforce Development Council to establish a task force to study Hawaii's current education and workforce development programs.

• Task force must identify strategies to locate industries with worker shortages, enhance recruitment and retention, and expand work-based learning opportunities for adults and youth.

• Task force must address closing the digital divide for disconnected residents and ensure English language learners have access to work-based learning and job training support.

• Task force must study existing state education and workplace development programs, analyze pathways for obtaining in-demand occupational licenses, and recommend how to identify and expand effective workforce development initiatives.

• Task force must submit findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2025 Regular Session convenes.