Hawaiian Airlines and Honolulu Community College (HonCC) have formed an innovative partnership to graduate more local students as highly skilled aviation maintenance technicians, a field experiencing soaring demand. When the fall academic semester begins on Monday, some Hawaiian Airlines aviation maintenance technicians will trade the carrier’s aircraft hangar for HonCC’s facilities as instructors.
Hawaiian’s Bill Kinsley and Jason Anderson will teach classes for HonCC’s Aeronautics Maintenance Technology (AERO) program, allowing it to double enrollment to 100 students by Fall 2023.
HonCC graduates 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. 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.
“We are enthusiastic to have our employees share their expertise to inspire and prepare Hawai‘i 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 HonCC’s graduates will consider joining our ‘ohana so they can enjoy a rewarding career right here at home with Hawai‘i’s carrier.”
“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 Community College. “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 Hawai’i."
“The opportunity to prepare our next generation of aircraft mechanics with relevant, real-world practical skills and expertise is a privilege,” added Kinsley, one of Hawaiian’s instructors. “The Aviation Maintenance Technician Program has always been a challenging course of study, but well worth the effort.”
The new partnership builds on Hawaiian’s Aircraft Mechanic Apprenticeship Program (AMAP) launched in 2016 in collaboration with HonCC and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. Students in the apprenticeship program take HonCC courses during the day and hold a part-time shift at Hawaiian’s aircraft maintenance hangar, where they get paid as mechanics performing hands-on repair and preventative maintenance.
More information about HonCC’s AERO program can be found here. Applications for the AERO program Spring 2023 semester are currently being accepted here. Deadline to apply is December 15, 2022. The Spring term runs from Jan. 9 through May 12, 2023.
