The Hawaiʻi Web Development Bootcamp

Kamehameha Schools and Nucamp bring a tuition-covered, skill and career-building opportunity to Hawaiʻi

Where do most Native Hawaiians live? On a) the U.S. mainland, or b) in the Hawaiian islands?

If you guessed 'a, the U.S. mainland,' you're correct -- the cost of living has sadly driven many families away from their homeland. Salaries in mostly service-oriented careers are not keeping pace with housing and other costs.

That's why Nucamp is excited to announce a new partnership with Kamehameha Schools, a Native Hawaiian-serving institution. Under the new partnership, Kamehameha Schools is covering the tuition for a cohort of students to enroll in Nucamp’s Web Development Fundamentals bootcamp, followed by the Full Stack Web and  Mobile App Development bootcamp, and rounded out with the Job Hunting bootcamp. This means a chance for new careers and new earning power. 

As a unique aspect of this partnership, each student enrolling in the cohort will be required to choose a Native Hawaiian charter school or community-based organization to support while they are enrolled in the bootcamps. By building projects that benefit these nonprofit organizations, students will gain real-world experience while benefiting organizations that may not otherwise be able to afford the services of professional developers.

“This is a really unique and exciting partnership,” says Chryssa Jones, who is Nucamp’s director of Curriculum as well as a Native Hawaiian. “These students will be able to learn and work together, practicing their new skills while directly benefiting the organizations that serve our keiki (children) and mālama (care for) our island home.”

Kamehameha Schools was founded in 1887 by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. As the great-granddaughter of King Kamehameha I and the last royal descendant of the Kamehameha line, Pauahi inherited thousands of acres of land, about 9% of the total acreage of the archipelago, making her the largest landowner in the kingdom. When she was born, the Native Hawaiian population numbered about 124,000 people. When she wrote her will in 1883, only 44,000 Hawaiians remained. In her lifetime, Pauahi witnessed the rapid decline of her people, along with a loss of Hawaiian language, culture, and traditions. 

As a Hawaiian aliʻi (chief), she understood that her kuleana (responsibility) was to serve her people, and as a woman of intelligence, compassion, and foresight, she believed that education would be the way to provide the hope and knowledge her people would need to thrive in the changing world.  With this in mind, Pauahi willed her entire estate to the founding of the Kamehameha Schools. Today, her generous endowment supports a statewide educational system that serves thousands of native Hawaiians annually at 29 preschool sites, K-12 campuses on three islands, and through a broad range of post-high and community outreach programs under the umbrella of “KS Kaiāulu”, referring to the Hawaiian word for community.

With this new partnership, Kamehameha Schools will be able to further the princess’ legacy by offering career-changing educational opportunities to Native Hawaiian adults, who are historically underrepresented in the tech industry. 

According to a 2022 report published in Inside Higher Ed, only 10.6% of Native Hawaiians over the age of 25 in Hawaii had earned an associate degree or higher, and 14.8% of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders live at or below the federal poverty level, compared to 9% of white Americans. A 2021 report by Pew Research states that Native Hawaiians, combined with Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, and people claiming 2 or more racial groups, collectively only account for 3% of all workers in all STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) -related careers. 

Jones says, “I’m fortunate to have a tech job, as a Hawaiian living in Hawaiʻi, but most of the people I see in this industry don’t look like me. Of course, I’d like to change that. This partnership will help.”

People interested in applying to the Kamehameha Schools x Nucamp partnership program will find more information, as well as a link to their application form, at https://www.kaiaulu.ksbe.edu/nucamp-bootcamp.