People First: Education, Talent, and the Future of Work in Hawai‘i

This chapter explores how Hawai‘i’s long-term economic resilience hinges on investing in its greatest resource—its people. It argues that while education systems, cultural heritage, and community cohesion are notable strengths, the state faces acute challenges in brain drain, skills mismatch, wage stagnation, and affordability. It examines the entire education-to-employment pipeline, showing persistent equity gaps, disconnections between academic training and labor market needs, and the outmigration of talent seeking economic opportunity elsewhere. It makes the case for aligning K–12, higher education, and workforce development efforts around inclusive, place-based strategies. Key solutions include expanding culturally responsive and work-based learning, modernizing credentialing systems, investing in wraparound supports, leveraging data transparency, and enhancing industry-education collaboration. This chapter also explores how the University of Hawai‘i System can serve as a hub for lifelong learning and economic diversification through innovation hubs and micro-credentialing. It emphasizes that addressing workforce gaps must go together with solving structural issues like housing, digital equity, and childcare. With the rise of remote work and green industries, Hawai‘i has an opportunity to reattract its diaspora and cultivate new pathways for youth to thrive at home. Ultimately, a people-centered development model rooted in cultural identity, equity, and intergenerational responsibility is presented not only as a moral imperative but as the strategic foundation for Hawai‘i’s economic future.