When the Lahaina wildfires devastated West Maui, Michael Young, apprenticeship and trades coordinator at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College, not only lost his home but also saw the urgent community need for basic rebuilding skills.

“I grew up in Lahaina and saw how many homes were lost or badly damaged,” Young said. “People wanted to know if there were programs that taught carpentry, framing, roofing, painting—anything that would help them start restoring their homes.”

From that need, the Hale ����貹ʻ�� program—meaning “small shelter”—emerged. The hands-on initiative, based at ����Vlog�ٷ� Maui College, builds 8-by-10-foot portable sheds that are small enough to be delivered to landowners without construction permits.

Real relief

These sheds, which double as teaching tools for participants, provide essential storage and, for some, temporary shelter. To date, 58 sheds have been delivered, with 220 households still on a waiting list.

“This is a way for people to feel safe and regain a sense of stability,” said Moani Whittle-Wagner, an academic support specialist who named the project. “Drivers are often greeted with hugs and tears. They’re small structures, but the relief is real.”

An helps ensure Lahaina residents and displaced families have the skills and materials they need to regain a sense of stability. To make a gift, click .

Providing hope

The program offers more than just physical relief; it provides hope for long-term recovery. Lahaina resident Gene Castillo, whose family lost multiple homes, found both skills and a forward focus in the program, recalling the evacuation with his then-pregnant wife and young daughter.

Read more ����Vlog�ٷ� Giving Day stories

“Without her,” he said gesturing toward his now two-year-old daughter Zanel, “I think we would have been lost. She gave us something to look forward to.”

Hale ����貹ʻ�� is also rebuilding lives by offering pathways into the trades, bringing together credit courses, union apprenticeships and free community classes. A pre-apprenticeship program with the Carpenters Union reports a 100% placement rate, providing displaced residents with career opportunities.

“These sheds are more than wood and nails,” said Whittle-Wagner. “They’re hope in a time of loss.”

Read more about and more Giving Day opportunities.

has partnered with and the to launch a new apprenticeship program to train and recruit local candidates interested in pursuing a career as aviation mechanics.

Hawaiian’s Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program, in partnership with Honolulu CC’s , will provide valuable on-the-job experience for up to eight candidates as they work toward obtaining their airframes and powerplant license, a certification.

To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited airframes and powerplant license FAA school such as Honolulu CC for a minimum of six months, or have previous military or aviation experience and be in the process of obtaining their airframes and powerplant license. Participants who earn their airframes and powerplant license and demonstrate strong performance will be guaranteed a position with Hawaiian Airlines as full-time aircraft mechanics.

Hawaiian Airlines commitment

As one of Hawaiʻi’s largest private business with nearly 6,000 employees, Hawaiian Airlines is committed to developing and hiring local talent for exciting airline careers as it continues to grow its operations. Hawaiʻi’s flagship carrier currently employees more than 250 aircraft mechanics responsible for maintaining an expanding and diverse fleet of interisland and transpacific aircraft.

“As we increase the size of our fleet and connect to new destinations, Hawaiʻi remains our home and hub,” said Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering Jim Landers. “We’re excited to work with Honolulu CC to offer a transition path to a long-term career opportunity for talented individuals right here in our community who are seeking to broaden their horizons.”

“Honolulu Community College is excited to partner with Hawaiian Airlines and the International Association of Machinists to support the development of this unique apprenticeship training initiative,” said Keala Chock, Honolulu CC’s dean of transportation and trades.

Honolulu CC’s Aeronautics Maintenance Technology program

“As Hawaiʻi’s only fully certified aircraft maintenance degree training program in the state, we are constantly exploring opportunities to engage our local workforce to help support our students’ transition into careers,” said Chock. “Labor market information has suggested a very healthy demand for aircraft maintenance technicians over the next five years. In addition, individuals who complete the apprenticeship program will have a great opportunity to earn competitive wages and remain in Hawaiʻi. This could not be a better scenario for our local residents and the state to locally grow our workforce.”

Successful applicants will start the program on September 12 under the supervision of a lead mechanic. They will be paid as a mechanic and perform hands-on repair and preventive maintenance work on Hawaiian Airlines aircraft for up to 18 months and a maximum of 20 hours per week.

—By Billie Lueder

Members of the ʻohana, including alumni, faculty, staff and community members celebrated the college’s 75th anniversary on Saturday, November 7 while also raising money to support student scholarships.

The Hawaiʻi CC Alumni and Friends Scholarship Fundraiser Dinner and 75th Anniversary Celebration attracted support from the community in the form of ticket sales and donations, and the proceeds will help students achieve their dreams of a college education.

“As we celebrate Hawaiʻi Community College’s 75th anniversary, it is wonderful to see the community support for our students,” said Hawaiʻi CC Chancellor Noreen Yamane. “For 75 years we have helped students gain the skills and knowledge they need to lead successful lives, but it would not have been possible without such a strong community as our foundation.”

Hawaiʻi CC was founded in 1941 as the Hawaiʻi Vocational School with five trades programs and 183 students. The college has continually evolved to meet needs of employers and students, and Hawaiʻi CC now offers 26 academic programs and has more than 3,000 students enrolled in Hilo and at the new campus in Kona named .

With programs such as natural science, auto mechanics and early childhood education, students can prepare to enter the workforce right after graduation or easily transfer to one of the other University of Hawaiʻi campuses, including the adjacent .

In the last 23 years alone Hawaiʻi CC has awarded more than 10,000 degrees and certificates, and in the last two years the college has awarded a higher number of degrees and certificates than ever before: 685 in 2014 and 643 in 2015.

The fundraiser on Saturday featured speeches, a silent auction, a vintage fashion show and the recognition of an alumnus who enrolled the very first year the college opened in 1941.

Hawaiʻi CC awarded Matthew Y.P. Chow an honorary certificate during the event. Chow, an 89-year-old Hilo resident, enrolled in the welding program from 1941-1943. He never received his certificate, however, because a curfew imposed from sunset to sunrise as a result of World War II prevented a commencement ceremony from taking place, he said.

“It brings back a lot of memories, old time memories of my attendance at Hawaii Vocational School back in 1941-43,” Chow said.

With his welding skills, Chow worked for two years at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard during World War II. After the war he obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology and worked for more than 20 years as a biology teacher at Hilo High School.

Hawaiʻi CC Alumni and Friends will use the proceeds of the fundraiser to create an endowment that will provide student scholarships.

“Hawaiʻi CC Alumni and Friends is committed to helping students who may not otherwise be able to afford a college education,” said Robert Yamane, the President of Hawaiʻi CC Alumni and Friends and a professor at the college. “Mahalo to everyone who donated. Your gift will make a difference in the lives of our students, their families, and our entire island.”

—By Thatcher Moats

has received an anonymous $150,000 gift to support three popular workforce development programs.

“Honolulu Community College is grateful for this extremely generous donation to our campus. We will be able to upgrade our machinery and equipment to provide a state-of-the-art training experience for the students in those programs,” shares Honolulu CC Chancellor Erika Lacro.

Programs supported

• $52,000 has been designated to support the program purchase a classroom air conditioning unit, student tool kits, drafting sets, consumable materials and a downdraft sander/grinder table.
• $92,000 has been designated to support the program’s lab training modules. The program’s training modules are unique and have been designed to test the student’s academic comprehension through applied learning in the shop. Each semester, students assemble, disassemble and perform a variety of tasks for program faculty to gauge their overall understanding of the various refrigeration systems encountered in the workplace. Over time, these modules have needed overhauling. This gift will help modernize the overall shop training platform to better prepare students for the workforce.​
• $6,000 will help fund the plumbing program supplies including welding rods, flat bars, soldering and brazing supplies.

Honolulu CC trades program critical to construction industry

Honolulu CC has historically coordinated apprenticeship training for various industry training programs. In partnership with the business sector, apprentices from various sectors attend required courses at Honolulu CC and start working toward becoming a certified journeyworker in the State of Hawaiʻi.

“Honolulu CC’s refrigeration and air conditioning and sheet metal and plastics program have maintained a high level of student demand and job placement,” said Honolulu CC Dean of Transportation and Trades Keala Chock.

“Over the last few years, student enrollment has averaged a little over 100 program majors collectively. Job placement data reflects that 85 percent of the students are employed after six months upon graduation and 90 percent are employed after 12 months. With our credit program, state apprenticeship training records indicate that we have approximately 300 students registered as part of the plumbers training program,” said Chock. “When you consider all these factors, the long-term impact of our two-year training programs is enormous and critical to support the needs of our building and construction industry.”

University of Hawaiʻi Foundation President and CEO Donna Vuchinich added, “This gift will help the college equip students with the resources, skills and expertise they need to succeed in today’s workforce. This donor is truly making a difference.”

—

is celebrating its 75th anniversary during academic year 2015–2016.

The Territorial Legislature established the college in 1941 as the Hawaiʻi Vocational School. The college began with five trades programs—automotive mechanics, carpentry, apparel trades, machine shop and sheet metal and welding. There were 183 students enrolled the first year.

Currently, there are more than 3,000 students enrolled in 26 programs, and the college opened a new branch campus in Kona this fall called Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui.

“Hawaiʻi Community College is proud to have been a part of the Hawaiʻi Island community for the past 75 years,” said Hawaiʻi CC Chancellor . “During this time the college has continually evolved to meet the needs of Hawaiʻi Island residents and employers. What has remained constant during these 75 years is our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality education that gives Hawaiʻi Island residents the opportunity to improve their lives and pursue their dreams.”

• Hawaiʻi Tribune Herald, October 5, 2015

Alumni and friends celebration

Hawaiʻi CC will celebrate their 75th anniversary during annual campus events throughout this academic year, including the Hawaiʻi Community College Alumni and Friends Scholarship Fundraiser and 75th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, November 7. The event will be held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo Sodexo Dining Room from 6 to 9 p.m. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The event will include a silent auction, door prizes and entertainment, including a vintage fashion show by Hana Hou.

Net proceeds from the event will help Hawaiʻi CC Alumni and Friends establish an endowment that will provide student scholarships.

or contact Anne Chung via email or at (808) 934-2547.

Hawaiʻi CC history

When it was founded, the Hawaiʻi Vocational School offered programs at the campuses of Hilo Union, Hilo Intermediate and Hilo High Schools. It was relocated to a single campus near Reeds Bay in Hilo in 1943. In 1953 and in 1956 seismic wave action heavily damaged many of the shops and classrooms.

The growing needs of the community and the requirement for a safer location prompted the construction of the present campus at Kāwili and Manono streets. Construction began in 1952, and the campus was completed in 1956. It was renamed the Hawaiʻi Technical School the same year, reflecting the expansion into broader fields of technical training.

The changes in the facilities were paralleled by the growth of new programs during the period following World War II that were designed to meet the expanding needs of business and industry.

The beginning of several programs

• 1947: Diesel mechanics
• 1951: Architectural drafting
• 1952: Food service
• 1955: Electricity
• 1958: Business education
• 1966: Auto body repair and painting, electronics and practical nursing
• 1972: Agriculture
• 1974: Associate degree nursing

The number of programs has steadily expanded throughout the years, and now Hawaiʻi CC offers 26 degree and certificate programs.

The 1969 State Legislature transferred the administration of the school from the Department of Education to the University of Hawaiʻi. The school became part of the , and as of May 1, 1970 was renamed Hawaiʻi Community College.

To meet the needs of West Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi Community College began offering programs in West Hawaiʻi in 1982.

In fall 2015, a new branch campus called Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui opened in Kona to serve West Hawaiʻi. The state-of-the-art, sustainably designed campus offers certificates and associate degrees, and also delivers bachelor’s and graduate degrees from campuses across the University of Hawaiʻi system.

First day of classes at Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui

—By Thatcher Moats

Preparing high school students for the workforce was the theme of a special recognition ceremony that honored 53 high school students entering grades 10-12 and recent 2015 graduates from 21 Oʻahu high schools who successfully completed the Summer Program.

“The goal of our summer program is to ultimately give our students the chance to experience a little bit of the college campus,” explains Kenton Short, Construction Academy Program coordinator. “Students get the opportunity to get hands on training in various trades, giving them the opportunity to make informed choices, so that they can steer their own futures.”

The students were admitted into Honolulu CC for the four-week summer program. First-time students were exposed to four different career industries (carpentry, welding, sheet metal, and architectural, engineering and CAD technologies). Sixteen students are returning for their second, and in some cases, third summer with the program. These students participated in an advanced curriculum featuring carpentry and welding.

The Construction Academy Summer Program started with 12 students in 2008 and has grown over its seven-year existence. The summer experience is an extension of the Construction Academy that is in approximately 16 high schools across the state during the academic year filling the gap of industrial education in the public schools. The program was established through a grant funded by the and continues to operate solely on legislative funding.

“With the future workforce projection in the construction industry, we are able to provide career exploration that will eventually lead students to Honolulu CC to obtain a certificate or degree in a specific career or technical program eventually providing an entry point into the workforce,” Short shares.

For more photos, go to the .

—By Billie Lueder

is the first in the state to offer non-credit courses in hybrid and electric vehicle automotive maintenance. Whether someone is a technician, a sales person, or just a car enthusiast, Honolulu CC is offering the most advanced training ever offered.

“We have developed new curriculum in hybrid and electric vehicle technology that meets the auto industry demands for highly trained technicians, especially in the emerging sector of hybrid and electric vehicle repair and maintenance,” shares Steve Auerbach, director of at Honolulu CC.

Participants will be able to gain valuable hands on technical experience working on hybrid and electric vehicles using specialized equipment.

The course is designed to give an overview on:

• Shop safety, proper procedures and basic maintenance for EV/Hybrid vehicles
• Proper handling of basic hand tools and high voltage equipment
• Identification of safety equipment required in electrical systems environment
• Technical service information and vehicle maintenance

Additional course information

EV/Hybrid Safety and Fundamentals, valued at $739, is being offered this summer only at a special rate of $395. Students must be 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license.

• Dates: June 16–July 2 (9 meetings)
• Days: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
• Time: 6–9 p.m.

These courses were developed as part of the , better known as .

For more information on how to register, call (808) 845-9296.

—By Billie Lueder

Meeting an economic opportunity and industry need, 13 students have successfully completed a new workforce stabilization program in marine welding and will enter the workforce with skills needed to meet industry demands. These first-time program completers were recognized on Tuesday, August 19, in a special ceremony that also celebrated the first of its kind partnership with the (DLIR), , the University of Hawaiʻi Community College’s Workforce Development Office and the Ship Repair Association of Hawaiʻi (SRAH).

“Through a successful collaboration to develop a workforce stabilization program with marine industry partners, the DLIR and Honolulu Community College, we were able to create a program in marine welding. We are proud to announce that we have a 100 percent successful completion rate amongst the participants. Moving forward, we hope to continue our efforts to create similar programs to support other industries,” said Keala Chock, dean of transportation and trades at Honolulu Community College.

The 13 students come from various backgrounds including veterans and long-term unemployed workers. Components of the program included a volunteer internship program organized by DLIR, short-term workforce training by Honolulu CC and on-the-job training supported by the DLIR with BAE Hawaiʻi Shipyards, C and S Services, Marisco, Ltd. and Pacific Shipyards.

Read the for the full story.

—By Billie Lueder

and the Department of Transportation put on the 2011 �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ�� Construction Career Days, October 20–21 at the Honolulu campus. Approximately 1,200 high school students participated in hands-on activities, interactive educational exhibits and trade demonstrations to learn about careers in the construction industry.