Federal grant to fund Maui jobs

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded a grant of about $331,000 to Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. to provide job training, education and housing assistance, and childcare to low-income farm workers on that island.

The grant was announced Thursday by U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono, whose district includes Maui.

The money will be funneled through the Labor Department’s National Farmworker Jobs Program. The program provides job training and employment assistance to migrant and seasonal farm workers who want to acquire new job skills in occupations that offer higher wages and more stable employment.

In Hawaii, it has assisted macadamia nut pickers, coffee growers, pineapple harvesters and flower nursery workers, along with their families.