Movers and Shakas has opened registration for the second cohort of its Hawaii Talent Onboarding Program, or HITOP.
First announced in March, HITOP — a community and cultural orientation program — aims to help employers retain professionals who have recently relocated, or returned, to Hawaii.
During the six-week program, participants learn about Hawaii's culture, take part in community service and network with professionals across various industries.
Participants are sponsored by their employers, and companies can enroll one or multiple newcomers or returning kamaaina.
The first HITOP cohort completed the program in June and included 30 participants from companies and organizations including Bank of Hawaii, Booz Allen Hamilton, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, the Hawaii State Department of Education, Hawaiian Electric Industries, Hawaii Pacific Health, Kamehameha Schools Maui, The Queen's Health System, Servco, the U.S. military, YMCA of Honolulu and Zippy's.
According to an announcement from Movers and Shakas, all of the past HITOP participants surveyed reported that the program improved their understanding of the local and Native Hawaiian culture and 93% said it improved their "sense of shared stewardship for Hawaii."
“Even before our pilot HITOP cohort, we knew there was a need to bridge the gap between newcomers and their new community, especially for key out-of-state hires like doctors and teachers,” Nicole Lim, director of Movers and Shakas, said in a statement.
“Building upon our initial program, we were able to create a series of carefully planned workshops and activities to help local organizations integrate new talent, increase cultural understanding, work effectiveness and a sense of belonging,” she said.
Programming includes weekend and after-work activities such as community service, visits to important cultural sites, leadership workshops, networking events and talk story sessions with community leaders and cultural practitioners.
For more information about the HITOP please visit moversandshakas.org. To register participants in the program, contact Lim at info@moversandshakas.org.
