Vocational Service Committee

High school students throughout our community are benefiting from a class of skilled club members who are ready to lend their expertise in vocational service. Our members are playing an important role in helping inspire young people toward successful, productive careers.

Our members actively participate in mentorship programs aimed at helping high school students see that education is the greatest indicator of future success and prosperity.

The Rotary Club of Kapolei understands that vocational service has important implications for our community's economic competitiveness. The young people who we provide professional role modeling for will potentially be part of the labor force that will shape our community's economic future.

Helping our schools graduate students with skills to get well-paying jobs or to continue their education must remain high on our club's vocational-service agenda. According to a recent study of Hawaii's workforce, the state needs to fill 29,000 jobs annually through 2012.

At the same time, the state is graduating 14,000 high school students per year. Meaning, our high schools are supplying less than half of the students our labor force needs.

Of the 14,000 students high schools in Hawaii graduate annually, about 1,000 go away to college and don't return to the state's workforce. It is estimated that an additional 4,500 to 5,000 enroll in local higher-educational institutions annually.