Two University of �鶹��ý campuses, and , have been awarded a combined $125,000 from , the charitable foundation established by Metallica, to fuel workforce education in high-demand technical fields. The grants are part of the national Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI), which supports community colleges across the country in expanding access to hands-on learning and career pathways.

Leeward CC: Mechatronics scholarships and rock-themed workshops

Leeward CC received a $75,000 grant to accelerate student success in its new Mechatronics Associate in Science (AS) program & introduce residents to advanced manufacturing careers.

• $45,000 will fund scholarships for 21 first-year Mechatronics students, covering tuition & textbooks across two semesters.
• $30,000 will support Rock-the-Lab workshops, engaging 75 community members in hands-on activities that connect music and mechatronics. Participants will learn about sound-to-light controllers, robotic drumming, & CNC “backstage” fabrications.

“This support helps our students stay on track and gives our community a powerful, hands-on first look at modern manufacturing,” said Bill Labby, mechatronics program coordinator at Leeward CC.

“The Metallica Scholars grant amplifies what community colleges do best—open doors, remove barriers, and connect talent to opportunity,” said Carlos Penaloza, chancellor of Leeward CC.

Honolulu CC: MELE & AERO programs take flight

Honolulu CC, a Metallica Scholars college since 2024, was awarded $50,000 in its second year of funding to support students in two dynamic programs:

• MELE (Music & Entertainment Learning Experience): 28 students in MELE 101 will receive funding.
• AERO (Aeronautics Maintenance Technology): 21 second-year students will benefit.

Each of the 49 students will receive $400 in Fall 2025 and $400 in Spring 2026, helping offset costs & keep them focused on building careers in music production and aviation maintenance.

“Having funding was really nice, especially for something that I love, which is music,” said William Nicolas, Honolulu CC MELE student and Metallica Scholars recipient, “I know there are so many opportunities in the MELE program. Metallica are literally heroes; it is crazy to have that connection to them! I grew up listening to them, it is surreal to have something like this happen.”

Metallica Scholars Initiative

All Within My Hands, the non-profit, philanthropic organization created by the members and management of Metallica, recently announced its Year 7 of its Metallica Scholars Initiative (MSI) with its largest grant to date, totaling approximately $3 million. MSI now has a presence in 75 colleges across all 50 U.S. and the territory of Guam, and is expected to reach approximately 10,000 students.

The Metallica Scholars grant amplifies what community colleges do best—open doors, remove barriers, and connect talent to opportunity.
—Carlos Penaloza, Leeward CC chancellor

Robert Trujillo, Metallica band member, stated “I could not be any prouder of our Metallica Scholars. We know that our country needs millions of skilled tradespeople, and it warms my heart to know that our Foundation’s efforts are making a positive impact and putting hard-working people on the path to careers in the trades. Whether it’s a school visit or a meet and greet before a show, there is no better feeling than meeting our Metallica Scholars in person and hearing their stories of grit and determination firsthand, along with their pride and commitment. It is truly inspiring. To think we started with a few schools and a couple hundred students, and we’re now in 75 schools nationwide, about to reach 10,000 students. It’s just incredible.”

Launched in 2019 by All Within My Hands in partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges, MSI began with 10 colleges focused primarily on manufacturing programs. The workforce initiative has since expanded to offer opportunities in diverse fields for students interested in gaining the skills and training necessary to establish meaningful careers that provide family-sustaining wages.

For more information, visit the AWMH, .

Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College are expanding their workforce development partnership with the September launch of the Maintenance Technician Development Program (MTDP), a new initiative to train the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians.

The need is urgent. Canadian Aviation Electronics Ltd. , which highlights Honolulu CC’s critical role in preparing local talent for high-demand careers.

Financial support, mentorship, job opportunities

Aspiring aircraft technicians enrolled in Honolulu CC’s (AERO) who are accepted into MTDP will receive a $10,500 stipend and up to $1,800 reimbursement for airframe and powerplant certificate exam fees. Students will also gain mentorship from Hawaiian Airlines mechanics, and program graduates will receive a contingent job offer with the airline.

“When I saw this opportunity come up, I was like, this could really help me a lot and I could really use this and it can really benefit me greatly,” said AERO student Diego Serrano, who will graduate in May.

AERO student Neil Patrick Nuevo added, “I work two jobs and go to school at the same time so it’ll be really helpful, just so I don’t have to worry much about working the other jobs and focus more on school.”

Building on Hawaiian Airlines partnership

The MTDP builds on the competitive Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program (AMAP), launched in 2016 by Honolulu CC and Hawaiian Airlines, which allows students to take classes while gaining hands-on experience in the airline’s maintenance hangar. Hawaiian Airlines currently employs about 570 mechanics, including more than 50 AMAP graduates.

“We are excited to create more local jobs to support our growing operations across �鶹��ý and beyond as we expand our global reach with Alaska Airlines,” said Beau Tatsumura, �鶹��ý managing director of international and heavy maintenance at Hawaiian and Alaska airlines. “We are grateful to build on our longstanding partnership with Honolulu Community College to support �鶹��ý students interested in becoming aviation maintenance technicians and considering a career with Hawaiian Airlines right here in the islands.”

Honolulu CC Chancellor Karen C. Lee added, “Through this partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, we are providing our students with an unparalleled pathway to a rewarding career, ensuring our graduates are not only highly trained but also have a direct route to becoming the next generation of aviation professionals serving our local communities and beyond.”

and are celebrating the success of their partnership to graduate more local students as aviation maintenance technicians.

Over the summer, Hawaiian Airlines hired eight students who graduated from Honolulu CC’s Aeronautics Maintenance Technology Program, or AERO, on top of the 36 the airline had already hired since 2016. Last fall, two of Hawaiian Airlines’ aviation maintenance technicians began teaching classes at Honolulu CC to help boost enrollment at the campus and meet growing demand for the jobs.

“It’s very rewarding to see our students find living wage jobs in their field immediately after graduating from our program,” said Honolulu CC Chancellor Karen Lee. “We appreciate Hawaiian’s interest and strong investment in our aviation maintenance technician program, and we look forward to growing our partnership.”

Under the two-year program, Honolulu CC students graduate prepared with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to obtain the FAA Airframe and Power Plant Maintenance certification and pursue high-paying aviation jobs. It is estimated that 610,000 aviation maintenance technicians will be needed over the next two decades to support growth in the global aviation industry.

“As the hometown airline, it is invaluable for us to have access to students who are graduating from Honolulu CC with the skills we are looking for and the desire to begin an exciting career here in �鶹��ý,” said Jim Landers, senior vice president for technical operations at Hawaiian Airlines. “We are adding a new fleet of aircraft starting next year and we will be looking for many more aviation maintenance technicians to join our ‘ohana and support our company’s growth.”

“It’s a hidden gem for sure. It takes a lot of hard work,” said Hawaiian Airlines Aviation Maintenance Technician Joshua Awai, who graduated from Honolulu CC’s AERO program in May. “It definitely pays off, because you can go into a big industry like Hawaiian Airlines.”

Honolulu CC said demand for its AERO program remains strong, with three cohorts of 25 students preparing to begin classes in the coming school year, and a waiting list of more than 100 prospective students.

Some of the latest beneficiaries of an innovative partnership to train and recruit much needed aviation mechanics took to the stage at ’s commencement ceremonies in May to receive their certificates.

Since began partnering with Honolulu CC and the to launch a new apprenticeship program to train and recruit aviation mechanics in 2016, hundreds of Honolulu CC Aeronautics Maintenance Technology (AERO) students have transitioned into well-paying aviation jobs, and Hawaiian Airlines has hired 36 program participants to help mālama (care for) its fleet.

“We are blown away and grateful for this partnership,” said Honolulu CC Chancellor Karen Lee. “I’ve been contacted by a couple of other schools on the mainland who’ve asked how this partnership came about because they also see it as a need within their communities.”

Martin Fruean was one of the first students to be accepted into Hawaiian Airlines’ Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program. He was also one of the first seven students to graduate from the program in 2017.

“I feel accomplished. I’m happy where I’m at. I wouldn’t want to work anywhere but Hawaiian,” Fruean said.

Paid apprentices

Hawaiian Airlines has invested in career pipeline programs and integrated training opportunities to meet the industry’s growing need for skilled mechanics. In August 2022, it announced another innovative collaboration with Honolulu CC to graduate more local students as highly skilled aviation maintenance technicians. Now Hawaiian Airlines instructors teach classes at Honolulu CC, helping to double AERO’s enrollment to 100 students by fall 2023.

Apprentices take Honolulu CC courses during the day and hold a part-time shift at Hawaiian Airlines’ aircraft maintenance hangar, where they get paid as mechanics performing repair and preventative maintenance.

“A lot of these students are here [at Honolulu CC] because of current mechanics at Hawaiian Airlines who are telling them how great it is to be over there and what a great company it is to work for,” added Hawaiian Airlines AERO Instructor Jason Anderson. “They’re going from knowing nothing about an airplane to then knowing the checklist and startup procedures for each one of these aircraft—that’s pretty impressive stuff.”

Of the AERO cohort that graduated in May, 18 students completed the course; six of them will continue their apprenticeship at Hawaiian Airlines until they receive their Federal Aviation Administration Airframe and Power Plant Maintenance certification and begin new-hire mechanic training this summer.

For more see .

Chancellor Karen Lee wants to blur the lines between academia and industry, such that both employers and students feel welcome on campus and confident that workforce needs for well-paying jobs are being met.

“I would really like that synergy to continue and to thrive,” Lee said. “I would love to invite all employers to join our industry boards. Our advisory boards are essential to our faculty doing a good job in teaching our students for the future.”

Lee became the chancellor of Honolulu CC in December, after serving in an interim role for three years. She presided over the 100th anniversary of the University of �鶹��ý’s oldest community college in 2020.

She began her career at UH in 2001 at UH Mānoa as the undergraduate coordinator at the Shidler College of Business. Lee also served as executive director of �鶹��ý P–20 Partnerships for Education, and UH associate vice president for student affairs and executive assistant to the president.

Enrollment at Honolulu CC is up 3.8% this spring, compared to last spring. According to Lee, Honolulu CC is a place with strong student support and strong teaching in diverse programs that range from trades and construction, cybersecurity, fashion technology, aeronautical maintenance and the liberal arts, to name a few.

“Success looks like a place where a student can dream and realize their dreams, and a place where faculty feel like they’re contributing to those dreams,” Lee said. “We encourage all students—young and old, male and female, out of high school, in high school—to come to Honolulu Community College.”

that 610,000 aviation maintenance technicians will be needed over the next two decades to support the growing global aviation industry. To meet this soaring demand, Hawaiian Airlines and have formed an innovative partnership to graduate more local students as highly skilled aviation maintenance technicians.

Some Hawaiian Airlines aviation maintenance technicians will be trading the carrier’s aircraft hangar for Honolulu CC’s facilities as instructors in fall 2022. Hawaiian’s Bill Kinsley and Jason Anderson will be teaching classes for Honolulu CC’s , allowing it to double enrollment to 100 students by fall 2023.

“We are enthusiastic to have our employees share their expertise to inspire and prepare �鶹��ý students for successful careers in aviation,” said Jim Landers, senior vice president of technical operations at Hawaiian Airlines. “As the hometown airline gearing up for another growth phase, we also hope Honolulu CC’s graduates will consider joining our ʻohana so they can enjoy a rewarding career right here at home with �鶹��ý’s carrier.”

Graduates of the AERO program will be prepared with the knowledge and practical skills necessary to obtain the FAA Airframe and Power Plant Maintenance certification and pursue high-paying aviation jobs.

“We are grateful for this partnership with Hawaiian Airlines, which perfectly blends the strengths of each of our institutions. Our goal at Honolulu Community College is to not only provide students with a valuable education, but also a pathway to a meaningful and productive career,” said Karen C. Lee, interim chancellor at Honolulu CC. “Our AERO program is the only one of its kind in the Pacific Basin, so this unique initiative will allow us to educate and train more aviation technicians who are ready to enter the workforce in �鶹��ý”.

The new partnership builds on Hawaiian’s Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program launched in 2016 in collaboration with Honolulu CC and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. Students in the apprenticeship program take Honolulu CC courses during the day as well as hold a part-time shift at Hawaiian’s aircraft maintenance hangar, where they get paid as mechanics performing hands-on repair and preventative maintenance.

• Related UH News story: Hawaiian Airlines partners in aircraft mechanic apprenticeship, December 14, 2016

More information about Honolulu CC’s AERO program can be found .

students like Scott Yago are now getting valuable on-the-job training through a new aircraft mechanic apprenticeship program in partnership with and the .

“This apprenticeship actually puts all the pieces together that you learn at HCC,” Yago said.

The hands-on program for up to eight candidates was designed to meet the growing needs of the state’s tourism industry and Hawaiian Airlines, one of the state’s largest employers, with more than 6,000 employees and over 250 aircraft mechanics.

Hawaiian Airlines Vice President Jim Landers said, “We see this as an important opportunity to keep local students fully engaged in an industry that’s very important to the �鶹��ý community.”

Honolulu Community College is home to the only fully certified in the Pacific Basin. From spring 2011 to spring 2016, the college awarded 95 Federal Aviation Administration certificates. Starting salaries after graduation from the two-year program run about $55,000.

Keala Chock, Honolulu Community College’s dean for transportation and trades, said the college’s program is a transformative opportunity. “Spending two years here, getting really critical training that they need to become technicians in our airline industry—you can’t find those type of opportunities elsewhere.”

There’s also a huge reward built into the new apprenticeship program. Students who earn their airframes and powerplant license and demonstrate strong performance are guaranteed positions with Hawaiian Airlines as full-time aircraft mechanics upon graduation.

“The sky is the limit with this,” said Yago. “But my end goal actually is I want to become either a lead or a chief, someone that has a lot of responsibility.”

—By Kelli Trifonovitch

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 �鶹��ý’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. �鶹��ý’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, �鶹��ý 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 �鶹��ý’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 �鶹��ý. 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

After a record breaking five-day flight from Japan in July 2015, the solar-powered airplane the touched down in �鶹��ý. The innovative plane, with a wingspan longer than a Boeing 747, was housed in the .

Said Solar Impulse Pilot and CEO Andre Borschberg, “When I heard this from Japan I was extremely happy because in Japan we were in a tough situation to use a mobile hangar and to use it again in �鶹��ý would have been very complicated, so a very big relief and so thankful and so much gratitude for the university here in �鶹��ý.”

The Solar Impulse team recognized the University of �鶹��ý with an exclusive open house, where invited students and faculty could get a closeup look at the groundbreaking technology.

“It’s an awesome experience,” said graduate Jasmine Hoapili. “Right now we’re doing a summer project having to do with solar panels, so it’s kind of cool that it’s on a big scale like this, because right now we’re just doing small scale.”

“It’s important because renewable energy is the future,” added student and mentor Travis Takashima. “Being able to show the students this technology, it might spark something in them that will make them want to pursue something in renewable energy.”

“The Solar Impulse is a pretty amazing plane,” said Honolulu CC student Alex Creadick. “To be able to run purely on solar energy around the world is a remarkable feat. I’m glad to be here.”

UH’s hangar was not only an ideal temporary shelter for the Solar Impulse 2. The educational host partner also provided the perfect audience for the project’s vision of demonstrating the potential of clean technologies for energy efficiency and for the production of renewable energy.

“It’s a wonderful partner for us for many reasons,” said Borschberg. “One of the reasons is we like to interact with students. I also hope that if they have dreams, if they believe in something, they can see that anything is possible.”

For more photos, go to the .