On the recordJuly 28, 2011
Mr. President, Mr. Begich and I recognize that Alaska and Hawaii's educational and workforce needs are linked to the indigenous cultures, learning styles, and geographical realities of our home States. We would like to commend the University of Hawaii Maui College for their hard work and dedication in developing a Remote Rural Hawaii Training Project. Over the years, the University of Hawaii Maui College has led the way in education and workforce development. Since the inception of the Rural Development Project in 1997, the University has supported 300 hundred projects. The initial projects served over 29,000 participants. We would also like to praise Cook Inlet Tribal Council for their dedication and efforts relating to workforce development for Native Alaskans. For example, in fiscal year 2010 the Alaska's People Career center served 2,269 job seekers and they helped 58 people obtain their General Educational Development diploma. These initiatives, many made possible by the unique environment created by the natural resources of Alaska and Hawaii, have proved to be an invaluable source of current and future growth of workforce development and training programs. We are truly impressed by the innovative projects developed by these two organizations and we need continued support for workforce development in these unique populations in Alaska and Hawaii. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.…





