Posted on: Saturday, October 30, 2004
HCC gets $2.2M in federal grants
Advertiser Staff
In the past two months, more than $2.2 million has been awarded to Honolulu Community College for projects and programs that will continue to help train workers for booming federal construction projects over the next seven years.
Workforce needs have been estimated at an additional 11,000 new construction-related jobs.
The new money comes in two grants, the latest one for $1.4 million from the U.S. Department of Labor to fund a "Construction Academy" initiative. The second grant, for $800,000 was from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to build new classrooms for education and training.
The Construction Academy initiative includes:
• Creating a standardized Building and Construction curriculum in the Department of Education. Participating high schools include Kailua, Kahuku, Waialua, Mililani, Waipahu, Radford, Pearl City and the Hawai'i Academy for Arts and Sciences.
• Contracting instructors to serve as "circuit riders" throughout the system. • Teaching training, mentorship and internship opportunities by industry professionals and local contractors.
• An extensive marketing and recruitment campaign. • Establishment of a statewide industry advisory council. Honolulu Community College serves as the lead campus for the University of Hawai'i on construction-related issues.
Ramsey Pedersen, the community college's chancellor, said the growing construction industry provides many opportunities for Hawai'i students to learn a skilled trade or earn a specialized degree.
