Kama`aina
Come Home
Kama`aina, Hawaiian for "child of the land." For years, Maui has watched as many of its children leave the island for the mainland to get an education, and, not finding enough opportunity at home, they stay on the mainland.
Hawaii students graduating from mainland colleges can look forward to a new Maui connection to find available jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) back home.
Appropriately dubbed “Kama`aina Come Home,” over a decade ago as a grassroots collaboration of the Economic Development Boards, this program has become a successful pathway home for many expatriates. A partnership effort between Maui Economic Development Board and Kama`aina Careers, a Hawaii job referral company based on the West Coast, has taken the program on the road.
In April 2006 with a debut in Denver, Colorado the program also appears at job fairs and college events. Los Angeles and San Diego event are scheduled this summer where employer representatives will be presenting STEM opportunities and resources to students and “local-born” professionals interested in returning to Hawaii to fulfill their career objectives.
Besides helping to bring talent home, the partnership is also working to build a qualified workforce pool for the State’s high tech companies looking to hire highly educated and motivated Hawaii candidates.
The Kama`aina Come Home program has similar goals to a similarly named computer-based tracking system introduced earlier this month by the state. However, this Maui initiative targets college students and former residents already on mainland, making established networking resources and job opportunities available just by signing up.
If you know kama`aina interested in pursuing tech careers back home, encourage them to register as well as submit their resumes online at www.kamaaina-careers.com. There is no charge for this service.
For more information on the Ka‘amaina Come Home program, contact Jenilynne Gaskin, Project Manager at 808-875-2332 or email jeni@medb.org.
Kama`aina Careers was founded in 1998 by Hilo native Jon Sakurai-Horita. He has over 20 years experience assisting employers with their employment needs, as well as directing the Career Centers at Santa Clara University and the University of San Francisco.
This Kama`aina Come Home program is funded in part by the County of Maui.
November 30, 2007
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, this initiative for Maui County is a collaboration between MEDB and Kama`aina Careers, a Hawaii job referral company based on the West Coast.
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.
Opportunities bring kama'aina back to Islands - Honolulu Advertiser, July 5, 2006
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