The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has received a nearly $3 million federal grant to support apprenticeship programs throughout the state.

The funds from the U.S. Department of Labor are part of $175 million in American Apprenticeship Grants made to 46 public and private partnerships to connect the efforts of local governments, employers, labor organizations, nonprofits and educational institutions.

In Hawaii, the $2.9 million will fund ITWorks: Hawaii’s Apprenticeship Initiative. The program will benefit 28 registered information technology apprenticeships, and expand eight other IT apprenticeships and 28 innovative workplace methods, according to a Labor Department statement.

Overall, the project will serve some 300 apprentices in the IT industry, including 100 incumbent and 90 underrepresented participants.

The American Apprenticeship Grants are part of a sweeping slate of initiatives announced Wednesday by President Barack Obama at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich.

Quiksilver’s U.S. division files for Chapter 11

NEW YORK >> Quiksilver, a ubiquitous clothing brand at surfing hot spots from the U.S. to Australia, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for its U.S. division.

The brand, founded in 1969 in Australia, enlisted a stable of huge names to represent its image over the years, including surfers Kelly Slater and Tom Carroll.

Yet after what turned out to be its golden decade in the 1990s, Quiksilver has faced rising competition, particularly in the U.S.

The company said Wednesday that its European and Asia-Pacific businesses are going strong and are not part of the bankruptcy filing.

“After careful consideration, we have taken this difficult but necessary step to secure a bright future for Quiksilver,” CEO Pierre Agnes said in a statement.

Quiksilver Inc. listed assets of more than $100 million and liabilities of more than $500 million in the filing.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy allows a company to operate while it executes a reorganization plan. Quiksilver asked the court to allow Oaktree Management to provide more than $175 million in financing for the company as part of the “debtor-in-possession” plan.

The company, based in Huntington Beach, Calif., plans to continue with an ongoing store-closing plan in the Americas.

McDonald’s to switch to cage-free eggs

NEW YORK >> McDonald’s says it will switch to cage-free eggs in the U.S. and Canada during the next decade, marking the latest push under CEO Steve Easterbrook to reinvent McDonald’s as a “modern, progressive burger company.”

Under pressure to revive slumping sales, McDonald’s already has announced a number of changes since Easterbrook stepped into his role earlier this year. In March, the Oak Brook, Ill., company said it would switch to chickens raised without most antibiotics. And in April, it said it would raise pay for workers at company-owned stores, which represent about 10 percent of its domestic locations.

U.S. job openings surging, but hiring slows

WASHINGTON >> U.S. companies are advertising more jobs, but when it comes to filling them many remain cautious.

Job openings soared 8 percent to 5.75 million in July, the most since records began in 2000, the Labor Department said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, total hiring slipped to just below 5 million, from nearly 5.2 million in June. The figure suggests that many businesses are having trouble finding people with the skills they need.

On The Move

» Alexander & Baldwin has announced that Clayton Chun is the company’s corporate controller. His responsibilities entail internal controls, accounting and financial reporting for A&B. Chun was previously an audit senior manager at Deloitte & Touche in Los Angeles for 15 years before relocating to Hawaii to join A&B.

» Mauna Kea Resort has appointed Candice Lucas as director of activities. She previously served as a director of spa at the Fairmont Orchid, Hawaii. Prior to that, Lucas served as the hotel’s director of special projects, reservations manager, director of revenue management and front office manager.

» Waikele Premium Outlets has announced Janna Herrington is its new director of marketing and development. Her responsibilities include working with the community, tenants and local media to help increase traffic and sales at the center. Herrington has been an office administrator for Waikele Premium Outlets since 2010.

Ship Ahoy!

Today’s ship arrivals and departures: