What is the Rural Development Project?

The Rural Development Project (RDP) is a Federally Funded Grant program initiated by Hawaii Senator Daniel K. Inouye in 1997 to address the need for educational and workforce training in Hawaii.   Through Earmark Federal Grants, funds are distributed by the U.S. Department of Labor to the Hawaii Rural Development Project statewide office at Maui Community College.  The Statewide RDP Director works with the RDP Directors on each island to determine specific educational and workforce training needs on each island.  Available grant funds are then distributed to each island based on identified need.    Each island’s RDP program is associated with a community college and works closely with the campus Chancellor to ensure educational and training needs are addressed.  Additionally, the Island Director works closely with county and state through the Workforce Investment Board (WIB) and the Workforce Development Department (WDD) to identify the types of skills and training needed by island residents.

What does the Rural Development Project do on Kauai?

Based on the “Farm” at Kauai Community College (KCC), the local RDP program has two goals:

First:
RDP looks to create educational and vocational training opportunities that will have a positive impact on Kauai’s workforce beyond the life of the Federal Grant funding.  To accomplish this goal RDP establishes partnerships with business, government, and educational organizations to determine where Federal funding can be used to most effectively utilized to have a positive impact the lives of Kauai’s residents.
 
Once a need is identified RDP funding is used to initiate a “Demonstration Project.”  Through the Demonstration Project Federal Grant Funding is used to sponsor creation of lessons plans for a training course that is not offered on Kauai, or to purchase equipment needed to put on training, to hire instructors, and to pay tuition for students to attend the Demonstration Project training.

For instance, at Kauai Community College, RDP funding bought computers that are now in use at the KCC Office of Continuing Education’s (OCET) computer lab.  When Kauai residents sign up for OCET computer courses, they are actually using computers paid for by grant funding obtained by Senator Inouye.  Even though the Federal Grant that purchased the computers is completed, the computers remain at KCC and are utilized all year long by Kauai residents.

 Another example of how RDP funds are utilized in conjunction with KCC, Workforce Development, and the Kauai Workforce Investment Board is the Commercial Driver’s Licensing (CDL) Demonstration project.

With Kauai’s diverse economy there is always a need for individuals trained to operate “big-rig” trucks and large buses.  There is, however, no school or facility on Kauai that provides this type training.  RDP Federal Funds were utilized to develop lesson plans, to hire an instructor, and to rent trucks and buses, in order to offer CDL training at KCC.

The CDL Demonstration Project showed that there was an on-going need for this type training on Kauai, and CDL training is now offered by the KCC-OCET as part of their continuing education program.

Second:
RDP’s second goal is to support the infrastructure at Kauai Community College and to build college capacity.

Again, RDP staff, working with KCC administration, and local government, identifies where Federal Funding can be best utilized to support the campus and Kauai residents.

Recently, RDP funding was utilized to purchase equipment for the KCC Department of Nursing.  With a critical shortage of health care professionals on Kauai the need for trained and licensed nurses is acute.  In order to enhance the training of nursing students RDP funding was used to purchase a “Simulated Man” system.  This state of the art system includes a mannequin that talks, simulates pain, and displays symptoms that students must diagnose.  The result of RDP’s funding has been better trained nursing students.