The Hawaiʻi Youth Apprenticeship Network (HYAN)

The pageantry of Hawaii’s high school graduation season–better than anywhere else in the country–is upon us. For many, this is a culminating moment to celebrate the accomplishments of young people and their ‘ohana. But once all the lei are given out and the graduations parties end, what comes next for nearly 12,000 public school graduates? 

If past trends hold, only half will matriculate to college. Depending on what they study, some – though not enough – will secure degrees that unlock upwardly mobility. Will others find jobs that let them live, work and thrive right here at home? Our track record is, frankly, not great. 

Together with The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation and the Kosasa Foundation, we seek to change this dynamic to create education pathways that help students connect their learning journeys to the futures they envision for themselves. 

This $2M investment is called the Hawaiʻi Youth Apprenticeship Network. National expert Jobs for the Future facilitates the network, comprised of five bold intermediary organizations and their partners that have designed and are launching the following programs:

1. Building Industry Association of Hawaii: the Foundations for the Future construction pathway. BIA Hawaiʻi has joined Windward District schools, Windward Community College, KUPU, and Aloha United Way to expand their existing Pre-Apprenticeship Construction Training program. Following completion of a weeklong preparation led by KUPU the training cohort will participate in the six-week construction training course learning a broad set of skills including college-level applied math skills. At the end of this experience, youth will be ready for employment with a participating employer, enter a registered apprenticeship with the Painters or Carpenter’s Union or complete a degree at Windward Community College. 

• Honolulu Community College: the Hawaii Youth Auto Technician Apprenticeship program. Kaimuki is the only public high school in Honolulu District that offers automotive repair. This innovative new model will bring juniors from three other high schools to Kaimuki for a pre-apprenticeship led by Honolulu Community College where the students complete a yearlong intro to auto class, an early college math course, and take monthly field trips to the community college auto shop. At the end of the year, students will receive OSHA 10 certification and early college credit. Those interested in becoming an auto technician will continue with early college coursework and 250 hours of paid on the job training with employers like New City Nissan. By the end of this second year, students can quickly complete an associate’s degree in automotive engineering or enter the workplace directly. 

• Vibrant Hawaii: Agriculture Intelligence Pre-Apprenticeship program. This partnership between Kahua Paʻa Mua (KPM) and Vibrant Hawaiʻi (VH) will equip young people in rural North Kohala with employable skills in agriculture, animal husbandry, small engine repair, equipment operation, construction, and natural farming. Each year, youth will complete a rotating set of paid monthlong internships with eight employers learning one skill per month for a total of 240 hours of paid on the job training. Young people in rural North Kohala need these related skills to make themselves maximally marketable for available agriculture jobs – the primary option if they want to remain in their community beyond high school. 

• Ewalu Industries: CREATE Hawaiʻi Youth Pre-Apprenticeship and Apprenticeship.This design seeks to place neighbor island students within creative digital media jobs that can be performed from a variety of locations. In the first year, juniors from Kealakehe High School’s digital media program on Hawaiʻi Island will complete a pre-apprenticeship program comprised of career technical elective courses and 12-15 college credits in project management, organizational leadership and public speaking. In their senior year, some students will complete 150 hours of on-the-job training with one of four employers such as Na Leo TV and receive a Business Leaders Certificate from Arizona State University. After the first year, a new cohort will begin with juniors at Hawaiʻi Technology Academy’s Kauai campus drawing on Kauaʻi Community Media as the employer. 

• Hawaii Chamber of Commerce Foundation: Maritime Youth Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Hawaii CoC serves as the backbone organization for a culturally grounded, maritime youth pre-apprenticeship program in partnership with HIDOE, UH Community Colleges, Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy (KVA), and The Maritime Institute. At the end of this program, youth will graduate with college credit, industry credentials and the skills needed for entry level maritime jobs both on and off a vessel. In their junior year, high school students will focus on maritime career awareness and exposure activities, coupled with foundational maritime and cultural learning with KVA. They will then advance to a Mariner Bootcamp dual enrollment program to earn industry-recognized credentials and structured work-based learning experience with committed maritime employers like Norwegian Cruise Lines and the Hawaii Harbor users Group.  

If we want more young people to live, work and thrive in Hawaiʻi we need to make it far easier to enter and afford college. And we also need to invest in additional pathways like youth apprenticeship programs that effectively blur the lines between high schools, community colleges and employers. Yes, these pathways can carry high costs, but they are among the most effective strategies we have in propelling young people towards opportunity.