The University of Hawaiʻi has been selected as the local education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, to provide Amazon hourly employees with opportunities to learn new skills for career success. Through this program, Amazon pre-pays tuition, and UH West Oʻahu and Honolulu Community College will provide the education and training that is designed to lead to in-demand jobs.
“We’re thrilled to join Amazon as an educational partner and offer relevant degrees or certificates to Amazon employees looking to expand their knowledge-base,” UH West Oʻahu Chancellor Maenette Benham said. “Our combination of traditional academic programs and specialized, place-based offerings, both available online and/or in person, prepare professionals for emerging workforce trends.”
Amazon’s Career Choice program has a rigorous selection process for third-party partner educators, choosing partners that are focused on helping employees through their education programs, assisting them with job placement, and offering overall education that leads to career success.
“Amazon’s Career Choice program is a perfect match for Honolulu CCʻs mission of providing open access to higher education that will lead to careers and transfer opportunities,” said Karen C. Lee, Honolulu CC chancellor. “We are enthusiastic about this partnership with Amazon to support their vision and our shared goal of nurturing a well-trained and diverse workforce for Hawaiʻi.”
Both UH West Oʻahu and Honolulu CC have posted their Amazon Career Choice offerings online.
Amazon has a facility located on Sand Island that is scheduled to open in August. The company is investing $1.2 billion in the U.S. to upskill more than 300,000 employees by 2025, and to help move them into higher-paying, in-demand jobs.
“We’re looking forward to the University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu and Honolulu Community College coming on board as an education partner for Career Choice, adding to the hundreds of best-in-class offerings available to our employees,” said Tammy Thieman, director of career development programs at Amazon.
“We’re committed to empowering our employees by providing them access to the education and training they need to grow their careers, whether that’s with us or elsewhere. We have intentionally created a partner network of third-party educators and employers committed to providing excellent education, job placement resources, and continuous improvements to the experience. Today, over 160,000 Amazon employees around the world have participated in Career Choice and we’ve seen first-hand how it can transform their lives.”
