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November 30, 2007
Hawaii graduates from mainland colleges, as well as former kama’aina seeking jobs back home should check out a couple of successful Maui connections, especially to find opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
“The steady growth of large mainland firms, as well as expanding local businesses in Maui County has created a strong demand for kama’ainas seeking entry level and experienced positions,” Jeni Gaskin, Maui Economic Development Board (MEDB) Project Manager said.
The most popular recruitment event in recent years has been the High Tech Maui Holiday Job Fair to be held on December 27th at the Maui Research & Technology Park.
The Job Fair offers applicants a chance to meet and discuss their qualifications in person with top STEM employers. At the same time, it provides Maui-based employers the opportunity to relay company information and recruit Hawaii-born students and former residents who come home for the holidays.
When Nathan Kimura was a junior at Gonzaga University, he attended the job fair during his winter break, where he applied for, and later received an MEDB/CfAO Akamai Summer Internship. The experience led to an internship at Textron Systems after graduation, which eventually developed into a full-time position.
“I was fortunate enough to get hired as an Associate Algorithm Developer at Textron Systems,” the Maui native said. “Next to working back home, I love the flexible hours.”
Participating employers at the 6th annual High Tech Maui Holiday Job Fair include Akimeka, The Boeing Company, County of Maui, Maui High Performance Computing Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center, Oceanit, Pacific Disaster Center, Textron Systems, University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy, and more.
Job seekers are encouraged to pre-register for the event, upload resumes for employer review and be eligible for a prize drawing at www.hightechmaui.com.
Kama`aina Come Home is another successful job placement program and is trademarked by and used with permission from the Hawaii Island Economic Development Board. With funding from the County of Maui, a Kama`aina Come Home initiative for Maui County was launched in 2006 through a collaborative effort between MEDB and Ka‘amaina Careers, a Hawaii job referral company based on the West Coast.
Since its inception, the program has helped more than one homesick kama’aina find his or her way home.
“After getting my Electrical Engineering degree at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, I really had this desire to come home. I missed the beaches and my family,” Sesame Shim said. “I was unaware that there were opportunities on Maui for EE’s just starting out. I thought I had to work for a couple years before even thinking of finding work at home.”
MEDB and the Kama’aina Come Home initiative connected Sesame with Oceanit, one of Hawaii’s largest and most diversified science and engineering companies. Today she’s employed as an engineer, working and surfing at home.
Interested kama’aina are encouraged to register online at www.kamaaina-careers.com. Registered job seekers also have the option to submit a resume that will be directly forwarded to companies with matching interests. There is no charge for this service.
For more information on the High Tech Maui Job Fair and Ka‘amaina Come Home, contact Jenilynne Gaskin, WIT Project Manager at 808-875-2332 or email jeni@medb.org.
The High Tech Maui Holiday Job Fair and Maui County’s Kama`aina Come Home initiative is funded in part by the Departments of Commerce and Labor and the County of Maui.
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