A New Path After Prison

Twenty-four men and women have gotten head starts on future careers and better lives after prison.

While nearing the end of their sentences, they completed a six-week pre-apprenticeship program run by the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund. The classes covered math, job safety, blueprints, framing and other topics that carpenters and drywallers need to be well-versed in.

The training for inmates at the Waiawa Correctional Facility and the Women’s Community Correctional Center began last year and is similar to training provided at HCATF’s facility in Kapolei. Some graduates are already working in the industry, says Edmund Aczon, executive director of HCATF.

“This program helps break the cycle of reincarceration while meeting our industry’s workforce needs. By providing comprehensive skills and training and a clear career pathway, we’re not just creating skilled craftspeople – we’re offering an opportunity for genuine second chances and sustainable careers.”

Lokahiokalei Liu, a graduate of the program, says the training has given him the chance to be productive and responsible and to care for his kids. “This program was really good for me,” he says. “It gave me confidence and hope for myself. I also learned how this is a career opportunity, not just a job. … I didn’t know where I wanted to go in life, but this program has given me direction.”

The state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provided funding for last year’s training and for the pre-apprenticeship program this year at the women’s prison. After the graduates are released from prison, they can continue the next stage of their apprenticeship training with HCATF.

Photos courtesy: HCATF

Aczon says seeing apprentices successfully complete their training and get jobs in construction makes him and his team proud. “I started as an apprentice as well and know what these individuals could do after the apprenticeship.”

And he acknowledges the challenges the newly trained workers will face, including the cyclical nature of construction. The industry in Hawai‘i is booming now and skilled construction workers are in demand.

“We all depend on the economy and the contractors for the jobs. For me, timing is so important as well. Everything we do depends on it.”

HCATF hopes to extend the pre-apprenticeship programs to more incarceration facilities, including on Kaua‘i and Maui. HCATF is a partnership among the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, the General Contractors Labor Association, the Building Industry Labor Association, the Hawaii Wall & Ceiling Industry Association, the state and federal government, and UH. Learn more about the apprenticeships at hicarpenterstraining.com.