As higher education evolves, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa is actively adapting to the rising demand for skill-based learning and flexible academic pathways. In fall 2026, UH Mānoa will officially launch its to support modern learners. Offered through UH ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s , micro-credentials provide a vital alternative and complement for degree and non-degree seeking students.

“The expansion of our micro-credentials reflects our deep commitment to meeting learners where they are,” said UH President Wendy Hensel. “By providing flexible, skill-based pathways, we are empowering current students to gain the in-demand competencies they need to thrive in Â鶹´«Ã½’s dynamic workforce.”

Building skills, advancing careers

Designed to bridge the gap between academic theory and workforce demands, UH ²Ñā²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s micro-credentials are short, career-focused programs. Each credential consists of two to four courses specifically tailored to build immediate, in-demand skills aligned with workforce needs. These micro-credentials will be offered both online and in-person.

Current UH Mānoa micro-credentials include: AI for business, innovative problem solving, applied economics & statistics, remote sensing, criminology and criminal justice, mixed-methods educational research and philosophy for children Â鶹´«Ã½. Up to 10 additional micro-credentials are planned for release by fall 2026, with more to come.

Upon completing a micro-credential, students receive a shareable digital badge. This tool can be added to résumés, online professional profiles and shared directly with prospective employers to verify specialized competencies. The initiative reflects a growing national trend, as institutions across the U.S. are increasingly adopting these verified credentials to meet employer preference for skill-based certifications.

These programs are built on a flexible, “stackable” framework. This means that while each micro-credential provides standalone value to help professionals advance their careers, they can also count toward achievement of a higher certificate or degree. Students can start small, earning individual micro-credentials, and use their earned credits toward higher credentials or larger goals over time.

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A new report from the (UHERO) emphasizes the crucial role of the UH Community Colleges’ Good Jobs Â鶹´«Ã½ (GJH) program in successfully placing residents into high-demand, higher-paying careers. The preliminary analysis by Rachel Inafuku provides more evidence that these targeted training programs are helping families combat Â鶹´«Ã½’s persistent, high cost of living.

“Consistent with the , average real quarterly wages for [Good Jobs Â鶹´«Ã½] completers were more than $2,000 higher two quarters after program completion than two quarters prior,” the report said. This increase demonstrates how these short-term programs are creating essential earning power.

Higher healthcare earnings

The most dramatic gains were found among those who transitioned into a new field after training. In healthcare, the largest GJH pathway, participants who switched from non-healthcare industries—such as retail or food services—saw their average quarterly earnings rise by more than $5,500 two quarters after completion. This amounts to an annualized earnings increase of $22,000 for workers entering a sector with sustained high demand due to Â鶹´«Ã½’s aging population.

Significant gains for skilled trades

Similarly, skilled trades completers realized significant wage gains, earning roughly $2,600 more per quarter post-program. Employment patterns for this group also shifted away from lower-wage sectors and toward construction, manufacturing and public administration, aligning with the state’s thriving construction industry and its well-above-average wages.

Smaller increases for tech

Outcomes varied by sector. Technology students—many of whom were mid-career workers with pre-program earnings higher than the average GJH student—experienced smaller wage increases and more modest changes in industry placement.

Read more UH News Good Jobs Â鶹´«Ã½ stories

Overall, these findings highlight how post-training earnings trajectories reflect both the specific skills acquired and the broader structure of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s labor market.

Inafuku said, “As Â鶹´«Ã½ continues to face a high demand for workers in critical sectors alongside persistent cost-of-living pressures, workforce programs that align training with industry needs can address both challenges—placing workers in more stable, higher-paying jobs while helping employers meet demand.”

UHERO is housed in UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹â€™s .

The Culinary Institute of the Pacific (CIP) at Kapiʻolani Community College has opened applications for two new cohorts of its Workforce Development Program, an advanced culinary training partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

The five-day, hands-on training sessions give culinary professionals access to advanced baking and pastry instruction without leaving the state. Full tuition scholarships are available to help upskill ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s existing workforce and build clear pathways for career growth.

“Our collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America brings world-class training right here to our islands, empowering ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s chefs to elevate their craft and push the boundaries of culinary innovation,” said Chef Roy Yamaguchi, director of the Culinary Institute of the Pacific.

Cohort 19: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry Arts

• April 6–10, 2026: this course allows partiCIPants to build a solid foundation in the art and science of baking. Training covers essential skills in classic baking techniques, pastry production, doughs, custards and introductory chocolate work.

Cohort 20: Dessert Design in the Hot Kitchen

• April 13–17, 2026: this course focuses on crafting show-stopping desserts without a traditional bakery setup. PartiCIPants will learn to adapt to the challenges of a hot kitchen, creatively utilizing heat-based equipment to deliver exquisite fine-dining sweets.

Both cohorts are led by Chef , a CIA associate professor, alumna, and Certified Master Baker who has worked in acclaimed kitchens including L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon and The Modern.

Eligibility and scholarships

Applicants must be 18 or older, a Â鶹´«Ã½ resident or active military personnel stationed in Â鶹´«Ã½, and have a minimum of three years of professional culinary experience. Full tuition scholarships for Cohort 19 and 20, valued at $1,500 per student, are made possible through the Hawai’i Ag & Culinary Alliance CIP x CIA Workforce Development Scholarship Fund with support from the State of Â鶹´«Ã½. Scholarships for Native Hawaiian applicants are provided by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Since its launch in September 2024, the CIP x CIA program has provided advanced training to more than 160 culinary professionals across ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s foodservice sector.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Hilo will lead a new $1.2 million, three-year grant funded by NASA to better understand how ±á²¹·É²¹¾±ʻ¾±â€™s coastlines can withstand climate change while expanding hands-on research and workforce development opportunities for students across the 10-campus UH System.

John Burns, an associate professor of will co-lead the project with Haunani Kane, assistant professor of at the UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹ .

“We are very excited to connect students from across the UH system through applied research experiences that help build educational pathways into careers in science and conservation,” said Burns.

The team will study how sea level rise and warming oceans are affecting coral reefs and nearshore areas. Students will learn satellite mapping, drone surveys, reef modeling and data analysis. They will also work with faculty, community partners and NASA scientists.

Burns directs UH ±á¾±±ô´Ç’s , where he creates detailed three-dimensional maps of reefs. Those maps show how storms, bleaching and human activity change reef structure and health over time.

—By Susan Enright

Many aspiring mental health practitioners in Â鶹´«Ã½ begin their career journey thinking they are embarking on a straightforward path toward helping their community, only to find themselves walking into many regulations and bureaucratic red tape.

John Souza, Jr., an assistant professor in the at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa, is working to change that with his “Do You Know the Way to Licensure?” project. The goal is to fix the critical disconnects in the state’s mental health workforce pipeline, leading to more fully licensed providers for local families.

Hidden hurdles

Souza’s preliminary research reveals that the transition from graduation to full licensure is where many practitioners get lost, often because of administrative and financial burden of accruing post-graduate supervised hours.

“Instead of being sure that people are ready to sit with individuals, couples and families and help them heal, we’re seeing that the licensure process is testing people’s ability to withstand financial hardship,” said Souza.

The initiative, part of the Marriage and Family Therapy Lab at the , is collecting data from four different routes—undergraduates, current graduate students, pre-licensed graduates and licensed providers. Souza wants to advocate for policy changes that will streamline the path to practice.

For more information or to participate in the study, contact Souza at john.souza@hawaii.edu.

Honolulu Community College’s Continuing Education Department is launching a comprehensive slate of spring 2026 non-credit courses designed to strengthen Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s workforce, support lifelong learning and create clearer pathways to credit academic programs. The courses are in answer to the demands that various industries in Â鶹´«Ã½ see in the workforce. These are short-term training programs geared specifically to the needs in those industries. Courses are open to the public and offered primarily during evenings and weekends.

Aligned pathways in the skilled trades

The college is addressing critical workforce needs in construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure with aligned training in the skilled trades. The Welding Fundamentals course, starting April 9, 2026, builds foundational skills that support entry into Honolulu CC’s credit welding program. Electrical and plumbing recertification courses are also offered.

• Registration for Welding Fundamentals closes April 2, 2026.

Foundational safety training

A new joint initiative with the Â鶹´«Ã½ Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism and industry partners is launching Foundational Safety Training Levels 1 and 2. This initiative aims to expand the talent pipeline for Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s entertainment and creative industries.

Training includes industry-recognized certifications such as CPR/First Aid/AED, OSHA 10, Aerial Lifts, Forklift Certification, Fall Protection, and Scaffolding Competent Person.

• Registration for all Foundational Safety courses closes February 17, 2026.

Creative industries and fashion

This spring marks the launch of a new Fashion and Sublimation Printing series, a three-course, hands-on pathway aligned with the college’s credit Fashion Program. Participants will learn design fundamentals, digital production, and portfolio development.

• Fashion and Sublimation 1 registration closes March 10, 2026.
• Fashion and Sublimation 2 registration closes April 1, 2026.
• Fashion and Sublimation 3 registration closes April 28, 2026.

Language access and workforce readiness

The Honolulu CC English Language Learner Options (HELLO) program offers non-credit English instruction at multiple levels, supporting listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary development. HELLO helps participants gain confidence for success in college, the workplace, and daily life. HELLO runs March 2 through April 9, 2026.

• Registration closes February 24, 2026.

By intentionally aligning non-credit courses with credit programs and partnering with industry leaders, Honolulu CC Continuing Education is strengthening pathways that support workforce development, career mobility, and lifelong learning for Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s working learners.

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½ plays a pivotal role within a new statewide coalition dedicated to securing Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s economic future. As a founding member of the “Generational Workforce Commitment,” UH is uniting with government, business and philanthropic sectors to ensure that by 2045, every resident has a clear path to a living-wage career.

“Building on the State Unified Plan, the Commitment takes a comprehensive, data-driven approach to ensure our keiki can build careers right here at home,” said Gov. Josh Green. “This isn’t about quick fixes. It’s about generational change. When we align our schools, our university system, our employers and our state agencies around a common goal, we create real pathways for Â鶹´«Ã½‘s families to earn living wages and thrive in our state.”

Learn, work, thrive

The initiative is driven by the Learn, Work, Thrive Hui—a coalition co-facilitated by the Chamber of Commerce Hawaii and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Workforce Funders Collaborative (HWFC). HWFC acts as a catalyst organization, bringing philanthropic partners together to support a unified workforce strategy.

Matt Stevens, executive director of HWFC, noted that this shared governance is essential for solving entrenched economic issues.

“We know Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s workforce challenges aren’t simple, and they can’t be solved alone by any one organization or stakeholder,” said Stevens. “This Commitment is about choosing to work differently over the long term: staying focused on shared outcomes, making tough decisions, and investing in what actually changes people’s lives”.

Strengthening educational pathways

Education systems are a critical part of ensuring that pathways to these outcomes are accessible, seamless and durable over time. Through the Commitment, alignment between the Â鶹´«Ã½ State Department of Education and UH is strengthened, building the shared infrastructure needed to efficiently connect learners across the state to existing, unfilled good jobs today, while increasing the system’s ability to adapt as new industries and opportunities emerge over the coming decades.

“Expanding on sector partnerships and increasing work-based learning opportunities like internships are explicit goals of the Commitment, and aligned closely with UH’s strategic plan,” said Christine Beaule, UH director of workforce development.

“Our responsibility to the next generation is twofold: we must provide the rigorous academic preparation all students deserve and need, while creating the conditions that allow them to build a life in the islands,” added Stephen Schatz, executive director of Hawaii P–20 Partnerships for Education.

Honolulu Community College welcomed Michael Cadenazzi, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, for a tour of its state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Facility, underscoring the college’s expanding role in strengthening the nation’s industrial base and Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s defense-aligned workforce pipeline. Cadenazzi was in Honolulu to attend the Honolulu Defense Forum in January.

The visit highlighted Honolulu CC’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Program, launched in partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, the Chamber of Commerce Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Military Affairs Council through the Kuʻi Hao Initiative, and BG Workforce. The program provides hands-on training in precision machining, fabrication and industrial manufacturing (skills essential to Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s maritime, defense and industrial sectors).

“We were incredibly honored by Assistant Secretary Cadenazzi’s visit,” said Honolulu CC Chancellor, Karen C. Lee. “It reflects the true partnership that brought our Advanced Manufacturing Training Suite to life as we prepare Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s future machining and manufacturing workforce.”

Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s first dedicated training hub for advanced manufacturing

During the tour, Cadenazzi visited the college’s cutting-edge machine shop, instructional labs and hands-on training suites, where faculty and students showcased class projects, industry-aligned equipment, and the program’s growing capacity to meet regional and national workforce needs. The facility, which opened in 2025, serves as Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s first dedicated training hub for advanced manufacturing and supports a diverse cohort of trainees, including active-duty military personnel, shipyard workers and local students.

“Assistant Secretary Cadenazzi’s visit affirmed the importance of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s role in strengthening the nation’s defense industrial base,” said Pono Chong, program director for Kuʻi Hao. “Through partnerships like this with Honolulu Community College and IBAS, we are building real, job-ready pathways in advanced manufacturing that support military readiness, supply-chain resilience and long-term economic opportunity Â鶹´«Ã½.”

Honolulu CC’s Advanced Manufacturing programs continue to evolve in response to industry demand, offering students hands-on experience with advanced tools and technologies while supporting regional and national efforts to strengthen industrial capabilities.

Â鶹´«Ã½ faces a significant public health workforce shortage that far exceeds the national average, leaving rural communities especially affected by limited public health resources and academic pathways into the field.

To help fill this gap, a three-course public health certificate offered by was developed and launched in fall 2020 in partnership with the University of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s (DPHS) and the Department of Health’s Kauaʻi District Health Office (KDHO). Nearly six years later, 72 students—including high school early college participants—have completed the program, gaining foundational knowledge and credits transferable to a at UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

Early college credits, pathway to a degree

The certificate introduces foundational concepts through PH201: Introduction to Public Health, PH202: Public Health in Â鶹´«Ã½, and PH203: Introduction to Global Public Health. Kauaʻi CC students who complete the program get a head start on a four-year degree and strengthen a seamless UH System pipeline.

The program is also offered to students at Waimea High School and Kapaāa High School through early college partnerships, allowing them to earn college credits that count toward both Kauaʻi CC and UH ²ÑÄå²Ô´Ç²¹.

“It’s so awesome to see high school students grapple with college material and make those important connections to public health,” said Yuka Polovina, a DPHS faculty member who currently teaches PH201. “This certificate and partnership with Kauaʻi CC is a fantastic model for other community colleges across our state and other campuses to follow.”

This program is a wonderful showcase of the collaborative academic pathway across the university system…
—Tetine Sentell

KDHO staff serve as guest lecturers, covering topics such as epidemiology, public health emergency preparedness, public health communications and outbreak control.

“We love the opportunity for our staff to share real-world local examples and make the work of public health come alive for Kauaʻi CC students,” said Janet Berreman, KDHO officer. “We get to see their excitement as they learn about the field.”

By introducing students to the field earlier, the program aims to increase local capacity and cultivate a future public health workforce drawn from the communities it serves. The initiative also supports UH President Wendy Hensel’s efforts to strengthen connections across the UH System.

The certificate by DPHS faculty Denise Nelson-Hurwitz, Lisa Kehl and Michelle Tagorda-Kama, with Tammie Napoleon and others at Kauaʻi CC. Yvette Amshoff, a DPHS master’s of public health graduate, taught the first cohorts and helped develop the program.

“This program is a wonderful showcase of the collaborative academic pathway across the university system, including our KDHO partners and DOE as well,” said Tetine Sentell, public health professor and DPHS department chair. “We are working to build more pathways like this to support public health across our islands and beyond.”

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A popular workforce training opportunity designed to prepare Maui residents for potential careers in the energy sector is being expanded to another island. For the first time, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ Maui College, in partnership with Hawaiian Electric, will offer the 10-week Maui Power Pathways Training Program on both Maui and Molokaʻi, significantly increasing access to hands-on, high-demand training.

The program, which runs from April 13 through June 19, 2026, provides participants with real-world experience across Hawaiian Electric’s generation operations. Training areas include electrical systems, combustion turbine operations, instrumentation and control technology, diesel mechanics and power plant operations.

Those who successfully complete the training will receive up to $3,000. Space is limited, and applications will be accepted through February 20, 2026.

“The immediate and total success of the Maui Power Pathways Training Program in its first year inspired us to expand the upcoming 2026 cohort to include Molokaʻi,” said UH Maui College Chancellor Lui Hokoana. “And that initial success was a result of the innovative and forward-looking partnership between our college and Hawaiian Electric. With the program’s expansion, we renew our commitment to training Maui Nui’s future workforce.”

Building a workforce pipeline

Applicants must be:

• Residents of Maui or Molokaʻi, depending on the training location
• Available for the duration of the program
• At least 18 years old
• Driver license-eligible, and
• Able to pass a criminal background check, drug screening and pre-employment physical

Participants from the previous cohort were successfully hired into positions at Hawaiian Electric’s generating facilities, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in building a sustainable, local workforce pipeline within Maui County.

“Through our partnership with UH Maui College, the Maui Power Pathways training program exceeded our expectations,” said Kazu Hayashida, manager of workforce planning at Hawaiian Electric. “Our goal was to develop a pipeline of qualified candidates for future opportunities at our generating stations, and we were already able to successfully hire a number of trainees. We’re excited to again offer a direct pathway from training into careers with Hawaiian Electric.”

For questions, contact Hawaiian Electric Workforce Planning at HRWorkforcePlanning@hawaiianelectric.com.