The Hawaiʻi Energy & Infrastructure Project (HEIP) is a cross-sector workforce initiative focused on strengthening equitable pathways into Hawaiʻi’s energy, construction, and infrastructure careers—sectors critical to the state’s economic resilience and climate future. Led by the HWFC’s Worker Equity Lab in partnership with the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, HEIP brings together industry, government, education, and community organizations to redesign workforce systems so opportunity is more accessible, inclusive, and aligned with real labor market demand.

Over the past six months HEIP partners completed an intensive planning, co-design, and systems-learning phase that combined local collaboration with cross-site learning alongside peers from across the National Fund Collective network. Through virtual exchanges and shared problem-solving—and culminating in an in-person national convening in Baltimore last month—partners examined drivers of inequity, aligned on practice and systems strategies, and sharpened a coordinated training-to-employment pathway grounded in worker voice and employer demand.

That foundation now supports a clear shift into implementation, with partners leading delivery of a unique initiative focused on expanding access to skilled trades and infrastructure careers for justice-impacted women in Hawai’i. This next phase centers on execution—putting shared commitments into practice—while intentionally incorporating continuous feedback, refinement, and responsiveness to the community being served.

A Partner-Led Training-to-Employment Pathway

HEIP’s implementation phase advances a bridge training-to-employment model that integrates:

Industry-aligned skilled trades training
Culturally grounded, trauma-informed supports
Reentry coordination and wraparound services
Employer readiness, hiring, and retention strategies

Together, these elements move beyond siloed programs toward a cohesive pathway that supports access, stability, and long-term success in Hawaiʻi’s energy and infrastructure sectors.

Leading Partners

This initiative is being advanced through close partnership with:

Building Industry Association of Hawaiʻi (BIA Hawaiʻi)
Hawaiian Council
State of Hawai'i's Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation (DCR)
AE Consulting
Touch A Heart
City & County of Honolulu’s AJC DCS WorkHawaiʻi Division

Together, these partners are translating planning into action—demonstrating what’s possible when industry, government, and community organizations align around a shared goal: expanding access to good, family-sustaining jobs while strengthening Hawaiʻi’s future energy and infrastructure workforce.

Looking Ahead to 2026

With implementation underway, HEIP will focus on execution with accountability—continuously strengthening practice, incorporating participant and partner feedback, and enhancing service delivery to better support justice-impacted women in Hawai’i. The work will generate actionable insights, tools, and partnership models that can inform future expansion across sectors and communities statewide.

HEIP reflects a shared commitment to building workforce systems that are practical, inclusive, and rooted in Hawaiʻi’s people, values, and future. We look forward to sharing continued updates as this work advances in 2026, grounded in partner leadership and community voice.