By Jerry Burris
Advertiser Editorial Editor

The news has been dribbling out for some time now. Slowly, but all too surely, Hawai'i is gearing up for another economic boom.

This one will be fueled largely, but not entirely, by federal spending — most of it on military projects.

Along with the good economic news, however, comes another theme: Will we be ready for the flood of demand for construction and other jobs? That second question poses a tricky political question for leaders here and in Washington: Are they up to the task of grabbing this tiger by the tail and wrestling it successfully to the ground?

The stakes are huge. The billions of dollars in construction and other job expansion (such as 2,000 people needed to work in the interisland cruise industry) can do much to sustain Hawai'i's long-term economic viability — if it is handled properly.

But if we are passive, this could amount to little more than another short-term bubble, where an unhappy share of the jobs and profits go to people from outside Hawai'i's borders.

Our political leadership appears to recognize the magnitude of the task ahead. The danger is if this becomes another contest for political dominance; a turf war if you will over who is taking charge of these challenges and opportunities.

There are more than enough folks eager to be helpful in getting ready for the job avalanche to come. The task is ensuring that these various efforts are coordinated in a way that makes the most sense for Hawai'i, and not the political interests of the players involved.

At the moment, efforts to get ready for the boom are moving on several fronts.

The University of Hawai'i, through its community college system, is a key player in educating and training people for the trades. But it is at maximum capacity (actually over capacity) and cannot offer more without additional resources, including teachers and classroom space.

Various private and public-private partnerships are gearing up to create programs to develop the most in-demand employees. But in some cases, they are attempting to tap into the same sources of financial support. This will require coordination.

The Lingle administration intends to introduce legislation next session that would speed up the job-training process across the state. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism is particularly aware of both the opportunities and dangers ahead.

This week, the state and the City and County of Honolulu will hold a two-day event at the Neal Blaisdell Center designed to teach contractors and others how to dip into the federal cornucopia that is about to hit.

And on Jan. 20, a conference launched by U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie will call together a wide spectrum of players, from unions and construction companies to economists and business leaders, in a Hawai'i Jobs Summit.

The goal is to identify what job resources we have here, what we will need over the next decade or so and how best to train and develop those resources.

"We have a perfect storm coming," Abercrombie says. "A perfect storm of opportunities and a perfect storm of problems."

Reach Jerry Burris through letters@honoluluadvertiser.com.