🌺 Lessons From the Lab: Designing Jobs of the Future with Hawaiʻi’s Gen Z
From Post-Its & Papers to Possibilities: What Gen Z Wants in the Future of Work
What does Hawaiʻi’s future workforce want from their jobs?
How do we design jobs that truly speak to Hawaiʻi’s next generation? In this session, we’ll explore how the Human-Centered Design tool known as the MoSCoW activity was used with Gen Z participants to imagine their “ideal job of the future.” By combining an empathy approach (listening deeply to what matters most to young people today) with a dream approach (inviting them to envision what work could look like), we surfaced insights that point to a more meaningful and inclusive future of work in Hawaiʻi.
This interactive session highlights both the process (how MoSCoW can be used to co-design workforce solutions) and the insights (what Gen Z values most — from flexibility and meaningful work to career growth and balance).
What You’ll Learn
How to use the MoSCoW activity to quickly gather insights in design sessions.
What Hawaiʻi’s Gen Z participants told us about their must-have, should-have, and could-have job features.
How empathy + dreaming can shift the way we design jobs and workforce pathways.
Practical takeaways for integrating Human-Centered Design into workforce initiatives.
Who This is For
Employers and HR leaders seeking to create jobs that resonate with youth.
Educators and career navigators who want to align guidance with Gen Z’s aspirations.
Community organizations, funders, and policymakers looking for inclusive, youth-centered workforce strategies.
📅 Date: October 30th, 2025
🕙 Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm HST
📍 Location: Virtual – Zoom 🔗 REGISTER HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT TODAY
About our Session Presenter: LorMona Meredith, Director of Community Programs, HWFC
LorMona (Mona) Meredith serves as Director of Community Programs at the Hawai‘i Workforce Funders Collaborative, where she brings extensive experience in strategy, partnership-building, and community advocacy. Throughout her career, Mona has led and supported projects that advance equity, empower communities, and foster collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups. Her strengths lie in strategic thought partnership, relationship-building, and program development, all rooted in a deep respect for cultural knowledge, place-based values, and systems change.
Mona holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi, a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and is an alumna of the East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Leadership Program (Cohort 11) and the Pacific Century Fellows.
