Federal budget cut ends Hawaii National Guard job program for youths

Interesting admin May 14, 2026 0 Comments

Federal budget cut ends Hawaii National Guard job program for youths

HILO (HawaiiNewsNow) – Federal budget cuts have ended a Hawaii National Guard program that helped former high school dropouts get a better chance of finding jobs — or even starting their own businesses.

The Hawaii Job Challenge Academy program gave hands-on training and professional development in Hilo to 56 young men and women over the past two years.

However, the U.S. Department of Defense, which funds the National Guard program, cut $5 million from the budget.

“The only way they could manage this cut and this amount of money was to close programs, so we’re not the only program throughout the nation that was closed,” said retired Brig. Gen. Bruce Oliveira, director of the Hawaii National Guard’s Na Kula Alaka’i (Civilian Military Programs).

Oliveira said the program drew candidates from Oahu’s Youth Challenge Program, where the dropouts first earned their high school diplomas.

“We were small because we were just starting,” he said. “We didn’t have an opportunity to grow, but the four classes that we had, every class that we graduated, was getting bigger.”

The program gave associates professional development in various career pathways, including construction, automotive work, and even barbering and information technology. The associates also earned certifications for various job skills.

“These graduates from the Job Challenge program, when they go out and apply for another job and compete with others, they have certifications already that most that come out of high school will not have,” said Oliveira.

The program is set to close when its current class graduates next month. The Pentagon has restored funds to some Job Challenge programs due to congressional pressure. The Hawaii National Guard said it plans to bring the Hilo program back if it can get state funding from next year’s legislature.