Honolulu CC's Auto Academy revving up for another three years

Posted: Jul 19, 2012

On Friday, July 13, 15 high school students successfully completed the ninth year of the Summer Hawaiʻi High School Auto Academy at Honolulu Community College.

 

During the recognition ceremony, Bob Harrison, First Hawaiian Bank’s president and chief executive officer, presented Honolulu CC Chancellor Erika Lacro with a check in the amount of $22,500 to continue the program until 2015. Since the program’s inception in 2004, the bank has contributed over $125,000, which covers the cost of tuition, tools and supplies.

 

“This program not only exposes high school students to the automotive industry, but it gives them a unique opportunity to experience a college level learning environment. We are teaching them transferable skills that will translate in any workplace,” explains Honolulu CC Chancellor Erika Lacro. “We are grateful for the generous monetary contribution from Frist Hawaiian Bank to continue this program, and are thankful to our partners at the Cutter Automotive Group for giving these students a valuable internship experience.”

 

The innovative program began as a collaborative partnership between Honolulu Community College, First Hawaiian Bank, Waipahu High School and Cutter Automotive Group in response to a shortage of trained workers in the automotive technology industry. Currently, the program has expanded to include Department of Education schools, such as ʻAiea, Farrington, McKinley and Waipahu, and for the first time this year, Kamehameha Schools.

 

The Auto Academy targets high school students interested in the automotive industry in which they participate in an unpaid internship at a Cutter dealership in the mornings then attend classes at Honolulu CC in the afternoon five days a week for six weeks to total 120 classroom hours. Upon successful completion of the program, the students will receive 4 college credits towards an Associate of Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology.

 

Honolulu Community College's Automotive Technology program is certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and has maintained that status since 1993.

 

Watch the video to learn more about the Honolulu CC Auto Academy.

 

For more than 90 years, Honolulu Community College has been serving the community as a comprehensive community college in the heart of Honolulu meeting the post-secondary educational needs of individuals, businesses, and the community. With over 4,600 credit students and nearly 2,000 apprentice students, the college offers 49 degree and certificate programs. A member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers, Honolulu Community College has been continuously and fully accredited since 1970 by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges. For more information, visit http://honolulu.hawaii.edu.