Governor Ige, state officials and community stakeholders celebrated the launch of O‘ahu’s first utility-scale solar and battery project from Clearway Energy Group. The 39-megawatt solar project comes online at a time the state is shutting down its last coal plant and will help advance the state’s goal of 100% clean, renewable energy for electricity by 2045. (Read more)

Governor Ige called it “the largest state investment in pre-kindergarten education in Hawai‘i’s history . . . our first big opportunity to make progress in this area.” The legislation — HB 2000, now Act 257— provided $200 million for pre-K construction and helps deliver on a vision the governor described in his 2019 State of the State address. (Read more)

“Public education is the great enabler of dreams.”   — Governor David Ige 

This vision of what Hawai‘i’s public schools and the University of Hawai‘i system could be has been at the heart of Governor Ige’s mission to improve education. Back in 1987 as a first-term legislator, the governor worked with newly elected Gov. John Waihee to establish the first of two public Hawaiian immersion programs at Waiau Elementary. 
 (Read more)

Life-changing . . . monumental.” That’s how Chad Keone Farias, the state’s new School Facilities Authority (SFA) executive director, described Act 257, the historic piece of legislation Governor Ige recently signed into law to support his and the legislature’s vision of expanded early childhood education. (Read more) 

From leadership development and small business partnerships to natural resource management, art kits and genome sequencing — the 31 projects, supported by $8.1 million in the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) fund, run the gamut in innovation. But they also revolve around hands-on, real-world learning — challenging students and teachers to look at issues in new ways. (Read more)

Thanks to a three-year, $16.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce, some 3,000 Hawai‘i workers will be trained for high-demand jobs in clean energy, creative industries, health care and technology sectors statewide over the next three years. The “Resilient Hawai‘i: Good Jobs Challenge” initiative includes a coalition of more than 70 employers, training providers and community-based organizations to get local residents back to work or increase their skills for new employment. (Read more)

Imagine a Hawai‘i where 100% of our workforce is digitally literate and can adapt as technology evolves, learning the skills needed to succeed in a changing job market. That’s the vision of a forward-thinking Hawai‘iteam of state and local organizations dedicated to digital equity. The team has developed a five-year plan for advancing digital training for the state’s workforce. (Read more)

“How do we create a public education system that prepares graduates for their futures — not our past?”  — Governor David Ige
 
If it takes a village to raise a child, it took a whole state to come together on Governor Ige’s “Hawai‘i’s Blueprint for Public Education.” (Read more)

Once a teacher, always a teacher — even if you’re also the wife of the governor.  As a former educator, First Lady Dawn Amano-Ige has supported groups that help people transform their lives. Her work with Goodwill Hawaii is one example. She said what has impressed her most about the organization is its ability to diversify. “Some think of Goodwill as stores where you can find a bargain, but it’s so much more,” Mrs. Ige said. (Read more)

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