The Employment and Training Fund (ETF) Program assists employers and their workers by providing training needs such as business-specific training, upgrade training, new occupational skills and management skills. The ETF grant program provides funding for education and training projects. ETF funding acts as a catalyst, providing seed money for developing business education and training curricula and program design. It also serves to make education and training an integral part of employer organizations' missions.

Organizations like Maui Economic Development Board, Inc., through its Women in Technology (WIT) Program, also provide workforce development assistance. With U. S. Department of Labor grant funding for Women in Apprenticeships and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO), MEDB's WIT team designed and conducted workshops on Oahu, "Recruiting Women to the Trades: Strategies That Work" for labor unions, contractors, employers and apprenticeship sponsors and were one of 11 recipients in a competition of the Women in Apprenticeships and Non-Traditional Occupations (WANTO).

WIT continues to help groups in assessing and developing effective recruitment and retention processes and to place women into apprenticeships. WIT also has a program that apprentices Local Area Network (LAN) operators through MEDB's computer operator apprenticeship program.

The Maui Community College's Office of Continuing Education and Training offers courses under Computer & Technology Training (CompTech), the Visitor Industry Training & Economic Development (VITEC) and Personal and Community Enrichment (PACE) programs.

The most commonly requested courses are related to computer training, communications, customer service skills, and management and supervisory skills.

Photo by Ron Dahlquist