UH Community Colleges offer job training for healthcare, technology and skilled trades

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges are offering free short-term training leading to credentials in industry sectors that have proved resilient during the pandemic. This includes opportunities in healthcare, technology and skilled trades.

The training is provided through the Hana Career Pathways program. Applications for a variety of spring 2023 trainings are now available. 

Trainings of different durations offered from January through May include certified nurse aide in the healthcare sector, IT certifications including A+, Security+ and Amazon Web Services, and courses such as solar safety trainings, carpenter pre-apprenticeship and arborist certification in the skilled trades—leading to employment and paid apprenticeship pathways.

The Hana Career Pathways program prepares students to apply for registered apprenticeships and related degree programs, and connects students with work-based learning opportunities such as paid internships and guaranteed interviews with local employers.

“We were able to successfully hire seven Hana Career Pathways program participants in several departments to fulfill our staffing challenges,” said Donna Primiano-Holton, Kuakini Medical Center assistant vice president, nursing services in a university press release. “The Hana Career Pathways participants are very professional and eager to work.”

Micah Ellah Rose Eugenio, a student in the medical receptionist and patient services representative course at Leeward Community College, was one of the students hired at Kuakini Medical Center as an emergency room unit clerk. 

“I joined the training program because I wanted a career change.  My goal was to secure a position in healthcare and the course helped achieve that,” Eugenio said. “The instructor worked with my class to improve our resumes and to prepare us for interviews. While I had some prior experience from working at a doctor’s office, completing the course gave me the confidence I needed for the position.”

According to Primiano-Holton, the staff who were hired from the Hana Career Pathways program are doing well in their new jobs. 

“They are valuable resources who enhance the services we provide to the community. We look forward to continuing to recruit participants from this program. It’s a win-win opportunity for students and for local employers,” she said.

More than $3 million in Hana Career Pathways funding from the US Department of Education is available for tuition this year. Eligible applicants receive tuition assistance for courses and other training costs such as books and industry certification exam fees. 

The program is free for most eligible participants, since many of the trainings provide a 100% tuition subsidy to cover all costs. Wrap-around services are also offered to students including college and career advising, referrals to community partners with supportive services, and other financial assistance.

Financial support for the Hana Career Pathways was provided by the US Department of Education federal grant #V425G200038, Reimagining Workforce Preparation: Hana Career Pathways, in the amount of $13,370,383 for the period of Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 29, 2023. Grants from the Ascendium Education Group, Hawaiʻi Community Foundation and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation support the UH Community Colleges’ coordination with industry partners in targeted sectors identified as recession-resilient in Hawaiʻi‘s Talent Roadmap to Recovery, issued by the Hawaiʻi Executive Collaborative.