State Launches New Digital Hub to Help Residents Search for New Jobs

The Hawaii Department of Labor & Industrial Relations announced the launch of the Hawaiʻi Career Acceleration Navigator, or HI CAN, a digital hub connecting unemployment insurance claimants and jobseekers to high-impact career pathways.

The HI CAN platform will help residents searching for a new job and those looking to transition careers, emphasizing supporting those receiving UI benefits for the next steps in their career journey. This week, DLIR will release a new functionality that allows UI claimants to fulfil and digitally track their work search requirement through HI CAN. HI CAN will also help those eligible for additional social services efficiently connect to the programs they need for a successful career transition.

“We’re pioneering a first-of-its-kind data platform to connect job seekers to careers in our post-pandemic economy,” said Gov. David Ige. “Hawaiʻi is on the cutting edge, using widely available government data for a user-friendly program that creates highly customized job recommendations.”

The HI CAN platform for job seekers is the product of a partnership with national tech for social impact non-profit Research Improving People’s Lives, or RIPL, the National Governor’s Association-Workforce Innovation Network, and the State. Through NGA and Cognizant U.S. Foundation grant funding, HI-CAN assembled a forward-thinking team to create an accessible, data-driven, and full-service government platform for job seekers and individuals eligible for supportive service benefits.

“We are unlocking state data and technology to match and develop worker skills to meet industry needs. At the same time, eligible users can get help without sifting through dozens of government links that can lead to confusion and frustration. COVID has been hard, so we are centralizing services and putting people’s data to work to make bouncing back from it easier, ” said Anne Perreira-Eustaquio, DLIR Director.

“We at RIPL are thrilled to support Hawaiʻi’s efforts to incorporate cutting edge information technology to support workforce development. Playing a part in turning the vision Gov. Ige developed with NGA into a reality is an enormous honor for us,” said Scott Jensen, the RIPL CEO and VP of External Affairs.

Powered by the Amazon Web Services cloud and in partnership with Geographic Solutions, HI CAN uses a combination of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, state administrative data, and cloud computing to generate custom recommendations and job matches. By combining technology with a human-centered approach, HI CAN will help the state’s workforce prepare for future jobs by connecting people to career pathways that will lead to economic success and putting the support they need along their journey at their fingertips.