New Ag Courses offered at HCC

Starting this month and running through October, Hawai‘i Community College in Hilo is offering new agriculture classes for people with a wide range of horticultural interests and goals.

The classes are designed for people who want to develop an agriculture business, gain the knowledge needed to offset their monthly food bill, or improve their gardening skills.

“Students of all ages can learn to build their own greenhouse, create an irrigation system, control pests like a pro, start a business and use hydroponics,” said HCC agriculture instructor Chris Jacobsen.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

On May 15, HCC will host an “AgCurious” information session from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on campus in Building 388 for people who want to learn more about the courses and about agriculture on Hawai‘i Island.

By completing the agriculture courses, students can obtain a Certificate of Participation or Certificate of Professional Development in the following areas of study:

• Farm Management
• Sustainable Production Practices
• Irrigation Repair and Theory
• Integrated Pest Management
• Farm Food Safety
• Ag Business Management and Marketing

The courses will be condensed into a short timeframe: classes on two days for a Certification of Participation and classes on four days for a Certificate of Professional Development.

Classes begin May 30 and will continue through October.

The new agriculture courses were developed with the help of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College Career Training Grant, better known as C3T Hawai‘i.

More courses are expected to follow this first round of classes.

C3T Hawai‘i is a $24.6 million grant awarded to the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges through the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration.

Geared to the needs of agriculture, energy and health industries, these industry-focused, employer-driven programs are designed to increase college completion rates and provide job opportunities to the C3T participants.

For more information about the new agriculture classes or the AgCurious information session, contact Amy Shimabukuro at amysanae@hawaii.edu or 808-934-2687.