Efforts are underway at Hawaii’s community colleges to bolster the state’s agriculture, energy and health industries by developing a range of new vocational training programs. 

The newest addition is a course at Leeward Community College that will teach students the basics of landscape maintenance and installation.

According to a press release, the demand in Hawaii for landscape technicians is on the rise. The announcement cites 2012 statistics in a trade magazine suggesting that 53 percent of lawn care, irrigation, maintenance and installation companies across the country expected higher profits this year. 

The 48-hour course, Basic Training in Landscape Maintenance and Installation, will be offered starting next February. The class costs $450 and stretches over the course of three months. Using the Professional Landcare Network Training manual, the course blends classroom learning with hands-on experience and covers topics ranging from injury prevention and landscape planning to turf installation and irrigation system repair. 

The training is being funded as part of the state’s $24.6 million C3T grant. The grant was awarded in 2011 through the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration and is meant to support the development of industry training programs and boost college completion rates while creating jobs.

The grant has also helped Honolulu Community College set up its course on electric and hybrid vehicle repair and maintenance. 

Photo: Landscaping at Maui’s Grand Wailea Resort. (Courtesy of Jim Larrison via Flickr.) 

— Alia Wong