NINE LAUMAKA WORK FURLOUGH INMATES JOIN HAWAIʻI LABORERS’ APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM
HONOLULU — Nine work furlough inmates of the Oʻahu Community Correctional Center (OCCC) Laumaka Work Furlough Center successfully completed a four-day pre-apprenticeship evaluation course for the Hawaiʻi Laborersʻ Apprenticeship and Training Program this week. After passing the course, all became apprentices of the program Friday, Oct. 31, 2025.
The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DCR) played a critical role in the inmates’ success through its partnership with the Hawaiʻi Laborers’ Apprenticeship and Training (HLAT) Fund. The partnership provides inmates opportunities and a pathway for inmates to learn marketable skills.
The pre-apprenticeship evaluation course tests participants’ strength, endurance and technical skills in the following areas:
• Concrete block moving and stacking
• Gravel wheeling and trenching
• Scaffold building and dismantling
• Lumber stacking and site safety
• Digging with proper techniques using a pick and shovel
While participating in the course, DCR paid their wages.
Laumaka work furlough inmate Brandon Nau said, “I feel I accomplished something great on passing the test. And I look forward to prospering and making something of myself.”
Director Tommy Johnson of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said, “The apprenticeship program will help those in our custody and care rebuild their lives. It will also set them on a pathway toward successful reintegration into the community and access to rewarding career paths.”
OCCC’s Laumaka Work Furlough Center, DCR Corrections Program Services – Education Services Branch, Reentry Coordination Office, Hawaiʻi Correctional Industries (HCI) and the Laborers’ Union all collaborated on this effort.
In addition to becoming apprentices, all nine men joined the Hawaiʻi Laborersʻ International Union of North America (LIUNA), Local 368.
“We thank the Hawaiʻi Laborers’ Apprenticeship and Training Fund for its dedication and providing this invaluable opportunity for our program participants to join the Laborers’ Union Local 368,” Johnson said.
DCR is currently working on additional reentry initiatives for inmates to learn valuable skills that will prepare them for reentry into the community and provide meaningful career paths. This reflects the department’s goal to reduce recidivism.
Laumaka work furlough inmate Joseph Poʻomaihealani said he has a renewed focus after passing the pre-apprenticeship evaluation course. “I am determined to move forward to a better and brighter future and life for me and my family,” Poʻomaihealani said.
The apprenticeship program is 4,000 hours of on-the-job training and 290 hours of related training that includes Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) standards, first aid and CPR.
HLAT Training Director Peter Lee said, “Everybody deserves a second chance.”
One of the program’s training instructors, Lee said, was a former inmate who turned his life around after graduating from the Laborers’ apprenticeship program. He became a journeyman and worked his way up to a foreman.
“It kind of shows how this program can give you a new life,” Lee added.
Photos, courtesy of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, are available at the following link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s8268J3s10QHzA5SlUhaCBvvhvQfNe8l?usp=sharing.
Media contact:
Rosemarie Bernardo
Public Information Officer
Hawaiʻi Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Office: 808-587-1358
Cell: 808-683-5507
Email:[email protected]
Website: https://dcr.hawaii.gov