Apprenticeship Program

HonCC has been designing apprenticeship programs with two community-based Native Hawaiian educational organizations: the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture and Keiki O Ka ‘Aina.

 

What it is:

The apprenticeship program is a residency ECE training program, pairing on-the-job learning with coaching, mentoring, and related technical instruction. Employees or apprentices move along a career pathway as they earn credentials/degrees and higher pay at each step. Apprenticeship programs meet employer needs for skilled and stable workforce, while reducing staff turnover.

 

What apprentice will get out of the apprenticeship program:

Each apprentice will be assigned to an on-site mentor teacher and an off-site community college cohort coordinator and field supervisor. Upon completion of students’ coursework, faculty will help students transition to an advanced degree program through continued advising and intensive mentoring, all the while bridging relationships between university faculty, apprentices, and employers.

By bringing credit-bearing coursework to students where they are rather than expecting them to come to a college campus, this pilot program helps make ECE courses more accessible to the employee.

 

How the coursework will be developed:

As part of the apprenticeship model, HonCC faculty has been developing coursework in partnership with the community agency, constantly keeping the communities’ needs in mind and using a culturally responsive place-based framework.