High school girls across Hawaiʻi will soon be able to spend weeks embedded inside real companies, from dental offices to construction sites, under a new workforce-development program unveiled by Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi. The program, called “Girls In…,” connects registered Girl Scouts with employers through hands-on industry immersions designed to build real career pathways rather than a single afternoon of job shadowing.
Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi announced the launch of “Girls In…” on Monday, according to Kauai Now, describing it as a workforce-development program for high school female students throughout the state. The initiative connects girls with industries, employers and career pathways through hands-on industry immersion, aiming to strengthen Hawaiʻi’s future workforce while helping girls make informed post-secondary plans.
Eight to Ten Weeks Inside an Industry
Participants spend eight to 10 weeks learning about a specific industry, per the same report. The program currently covers dentistry, healthcare, banking, finance, real estate and construction, with activities that include site visits with employees and leadership, skill-building sessions, and opportunities to connect with internships and jobs.
Dr. Kanoe Nāone, CEO of Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, said the structure is meant to go deeper than a typical career fair. She said the program provides sustained exposure to an industry, its workers and specific companies, rather than a one-time career day. Nāone also said the goal is to show girls they can work in Hawaiʻi and to expose them to varied industries and companies, according to the outlet’s report.
First of Its Kind, Organization Says
According to Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi, “Girls In…” is the first program of its kind in the country, the group told the publication. The organization currently has preliminary partnerships with three companies and is seeking additional interested employers to expand the roster of industries available to participants.
Companies interested in getting involved can inquire by emailing Nāone at [email protected]. To take part as a student, participants must be registered Girl Scouts, meaning the program is built directly into the organization’s existing membership structure rather than open to the general student population.
A Statewide Network Behind the Launch
Girl Scouts of Hawaiʻi is headquartered on Oʻahu and supports nearly 4,000 girl and adult members statewide, with three service centers on Hawaiʻi Island, Kauaʻi and Maui, the organization said. That footprint gives “Girls In…” a built-in pipeline of participants across multiple islands as it seeks to grow its employer partnerships.
The push arrives alongside a broader national effort by Girl Scouts of the USA to deepen career training for young members. The U.S. Department of Labor awarded Girl Scouts of the USA a grant totaling $2,499,771 in federal funds to support employment, training, education and career development for underserved and marginalized young people, according to Girl Scouts of the USA. That same funding stream was also tied to the Camp Counselor Career Catalyst Training Program, under which select councils began offering on-the-job training at sleepaway summer camps starting in 2023.
Fitting Into Hawaiʻi’s Career Education Push
“Girls In…” also lands within a wider statewide effort to connect classroom learning to real jobs. The Hawaiʻi State Department of Education says its Career Pathways are meant to guide career exploration from kindergarten through college and connect education to relevant, real-world activities, with 13 Career Pathways and Programs of Study currently offered, each spanning four years at the high school level.
That framework has already reached a large share of Hawaiʻi students. Nearly two-thirds of the class of 2023 participated in a high school career-and-technical-education program, according to The 19th, and Campbell High School is one of 46 Hawaiʻi public high schools enrolling students in such courses.
Yet the same reporting points to a persistent gender gap in who ends up in which field. The 19th found that boys made up nearly 75% of Hawaiʻi CTE programs focused on STEM and information technology during the 2022-23 school year, while girls made up about three-quarters of health-care programs such as nursing. The proportion of girls enrolled in STEM programs did rise, climbing from 20% to 27% between 2020 and 2022, the outlet reported.
The stakes of that divide show up in paychecks. A 2024 University of Hawaiʻi report cited by The 19th found that women statewide earn 86 cents for every dollar men earn, a gap researchers tied partly to the career paths women pursue. By pushing girls into fields like construction, finance and real estate alongside healthcare, “Girls In…” appears aimed squarely at that kind of occupational sorting, though the program’s own outcomes have yet to be tested.
