Child labor laws in the state are being reviewed by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations this legislative session in an effort to determine if Hawaii has the right mix of opportunities for kids as well as sufficient legal protections for them.
Work-based learning opportunities, like those being discussed in House Concurrent Resolution 58, can help students gain valuable career knowledge and experience.
Those in favor of work-based learning, such as the Hawaii Work-Based Learning Policy Hui and Hawaii Kids Can, argue that students gain early hands-on experience in the career field of their choosing, which may better prepare them for the day they join the workforce.
The DILR does not explicitly oppose the resolution but did submit testimony asking that another agency handle this task, due to staff shortages.
HCR 58 asks the DLIR to review the current youth work permit system to see what types of barriers it may be creating for work-based learning opportunities and for research to be made as to how to streamline more opportunities for the state’s youth.
Career and Technical Education is what these types of work-based learning programs are called by the Department of Education. The programs are funded through Perkins V, also known as the Strengthening Career and Education for the 21st Century Act, and according to the DOE website, nearly $1.4 billion is invested into them annually.
The study also requests that the DLIR specifically study how other states with fewer...
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