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Building at Honolulu Community College
Honolulu Community College is recognized for its career and technical education degree programs.

Honolulu Community College was named the “Best Vocational School” in the Honolulu Star-AdvertiserHawaiʻi’s Best” 2012 People’s Choice Awards. It’s the second year in a row that the newspaper’s readers have selected the college for the honor.

“On behalf of Honolulu Community College, we’d like to thank the public for this distinction,” said Honolulu Community College Chancellor Hawaiʻi Michael Rota. “It is with great pride and responsibility that we continue to provide high level, quality instruction through our diverse career and technical programs and our growing high quality liberal arts curriculum that is articulated with the University of Hawaiʻi System and other four-year institutions.”

Honolulu Star-Advertiser readers were asked to vote for their favorite in 107 categories. Readers had to choose a name to write in as their favorite. Multiple-choice options were not provided. Each ballot needed 25 categories filled in to be deemed valid. The votes were calculated electronically to determine who won. No duplications were allowed.

A history of vocational education

Throughout Honolulu Community College’s long history, it has gone through multiple name changes. In 1920, the school opened its doors as the Territorial Trade School in Kapālama. Later, it was reestablished as Honolulu Vocational School.

It was renamed Honolulu Technical School in 1955 and became a part of the University of Hawaiʻi System in 1965. In 1966, the UH Board of Regents approved the name Honolulu Community College, authorizing it to grant associate in arts and associate in science degrees.

Today, with over 4,600 credit students and nearly 2,000 apprentice students, the college offers 49 degree and certificate programs. The main campus of Honolulu Community College is a short distance from the heart of downtown Honolulu, occupying more than 20 acres on Dillingham Boulevard. The college also has instructional facilities near Honolulu International Airport for its aeronautics maintenance program, automotive and heavy equipment shops on Kōkea Street, its commercial aviation program at the Kalaeloa Airport and its Marine Education Training Center at Sand Island.

— Adapted from a Honolulu Community College news release

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