More Hawaii public school students are expected to secure internships and apprenticeships during and after high school under a new initiative to better prepare graduates for high-demand jobs and expose them to potential careers.

The Department of Education on Thursday announced its Connect to Careers program, a coordinated workforce development effort with business and education partners that include the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, the University of Hawaii, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund.

The DOE says the initiative involves three steps:

>> Identifying needs: Industry partners identify needed entry-level skill sets and qualities, and collaborate on designing degrees and certifications.

>> Aligning curriculum: The Department of Education and University of Hawaii systems coordinate relevant and rigorous learning pathways to meet these needs.

>> Tracking effectiveness: ​Data and industry feedback will be used to determine which pathways are leading to successful careers.

Schools Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said some schools have successfully worked with business partners to provide students with on-the-job training, but the Connect to Careers initiative will help expand opportunities for all students.

“What we haven’t been able to do — maybe we’ve only done it in pockets — is bring people together so that we’re working in unison and in collaboration,” Matayoshi said at a news conference held at the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund site in Kapolei. “We’re really trying to focus on a system that will prepare our students not just for college, but for really good jobs in the state of Hawaii.”

She said industry partners are key to the new initiative.

“It needs to be led by business. … We’re not the ones who can tell businesses: ‘These are the skills that you need,’” Matayoshi said. “The end result for all of us is that our students will be prepared to take those jobs in our community.”

Just over half of Hawaii public school graduates pursue a college degree after high school. Of the 11,000 students who graduated last summer, roughly 6,000 — or 55 percent — enrolled in a two- or four-year college in the fall.

School officials say the new workforce development effort will enhance existing programs to guide students toward career paths.

At Kapolei High School, for example, all juniors and seniors are required to enroll in one of eight career academies that include business, culinary arts, health, human services and industrial technology.

“We already teach the kids hands-on learning, but this is a next big step, where industry is actually wanting to come out to our schools and be a true partner in all different trades and industries,” Kapolei High Principal Elden Esmeralda said after Thursday’s announcement. “Being able to get our kids internships and constantly being able to explore different career concepts — that’s enormous for our schools.”

Kapolei High is one of six schools that will be awarded a total of $200,000 in grant funding from the Harold K. Castle Foundation to improve or expand their career academies as part of the Connect to Careers program.

Linda Chu Takayama, director of the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, said Hawaii’s labor market has essentially reached full employment, leaving employers eager for workers.

“The rate of unemployment today is at 2.8 percent — the lowest in decades,” Takayama said. “Employers will tell you that they are desperate for workers. They need health-care workers. They need farmers, IT specialists, carpenters and tradespeople. But let’s face it, the ones who already have the skills have been snapped up. So we have to look ahead of the curve. … We have the responsibility of positioning a new generation of students to become the workers of tomorrow.”

Edmund Aczon, executive director of the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund, which develops carpenters and drywall workers, said his organization has joined the DOE’s initiative to help it recruit students to join the trades.

“We firmly believe that identifying and encouraging young people who are in middle or high school will strengthen our training process and steer them toward a curriculum that best suits their academic and career interests,” said Aczon, whose organization already supports construction academies at 15 high schools.

Under the Connect to Careers initiative, Aczon said, the Hawaii Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund will be launching a new program in the fall at Kahuku High and Intermediate and Waianae High schools that will enable students to earn community college credits while satisfying high school diploma requirements. Students who successfully complete the program will receive direct entry into the group’s apprenticeship program.

Takayama said the state Labor Department will be providing grant support for the carpentry program.

Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, another key partner of the initiative, said education and workforce development are priorities for the organization’s 2,000 business members that employ more than 200,000 workers.

“We recognize the importance of being involved in establishing the talent pipeline, because ultimately we are the end consumers,” she said. “The more prepared the workforce is, the better it is for everybody.”

Learn more at 808ne.ws/DOEconnect2careers.