MEDIA RELEASE
Looking for qualified and reliable employees to work for your business? The Department of Human Services (DHS) recommends hiring a graduate of SEE Work Hawaii, a dynamic statewide welfare-to-work program.
Launched in 2005 as a Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Inc. program and DHS community partner, SEE assists businesses with recruiting needs by sending prescreened applicants that meet employers’ stated specifications.
SEE Hawaii Work graduates come from a variety of backgrounds. They are low-income individuals trying to break the cycle of poverty, people with disabilities, and immigrants from the Compact of Free Association (COFA).
To promote independence from public assistance and to break down employment barriers, Goodwill program specialists offer SEE clients vocational and social skills training, pre-employment training, job coaching and practical work experience.
In addition to positively changing the lives of individuals and families, businesses that hire SEE graduates receive financial incentives.
Employers are reimbursed the current Hawaii State Minimum Wage plus 50 cents for each additional $1 per hour paid over the minimum wage, up to $12 per hour. Businesses also are reimbursed an additional 14 percent of the subsidized wages to cover training and employment related expenses, such as Unemployment Insurance, Workers Compensation and FICA.
Alii Kula Lavender Farm on Maui has been hiring SEE graduates as janitors, food servers, tour guides and sales cashiers for the last three years.
Co-owner Lani Weigert says the SEE Work Hawaii partnership is “mutually beneficial to both client and employer. Because of financial incentives we were willing to take a client who might need more training versus an applicant with more experience. We found that in spite of the challenges that affected their daily lives, SEE clients are hard workers.â€
Goodwill was the first agency in the state to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Goodwill has worked closely with more than 1,100 local employers, and successfully placed more than 2,900 people into SEE jobs statewide. One-quarter of all Goodwill jobs are in the retail industry.
Goodwill’s mission is to help people with employment barriers to reach their full potential and become self-sufficient.
Other Hawaii businesses that continue to break barriers to employment include: Cook Kwee’s Maui Cookies, Flagship Fastlube, Curves, Ernel’s Cleaning Service, Kamaaina Kids, Pacific Paws, Seattle’s Best Coffee, USA Baby Hawaii, Waianae Coast Coalition, and Wetzel’s Pretzels.
For more information about the SEE Hawaii Work Program, call 808-792-8551 or visit www.seehawaiiwork.org
To learn more about Goodwill Industries of Hawaii, Inc. visit www.higoodwill.org
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