Highline Community College was established in 1961 to serve the district between Seattle and Tacoma with an area population of approximately 250,000. About 9,000 students enroll each quarter at HCC for credit classes. Programs at HCC are designed to meet the diverse educational needs and interests of the resident and business communities. Each year, Highline is among the top four (of thirty-two) community and technical colleges in the state of Washington in the number of successful transfers to four-year institutions, the number of applied degrees, and the percentage of employed graduates from professional technical programs.

HCC's mission statement emphasizes the importance of international education to the institution's structure and programmatic offerings. In addition to its international linkages, the College has long standing partnerships in the public and private sectors in Washington State, including the Washington State Department of Trade and Economic Development Office.

HCC has built a dynamic structure to deliver training to clients such as the Boeing Company, the Port of Seattle, City of Federal Way, Recreational Equipment Incorporated, United States Navy, Eillison Machinery, and the Weyerhaeuser Company to name only a few. Human resource training, marketing, international business protocol, import/export services, customer services in hospitality and tourism, lean manufacturing, quality control, and information technology are a few examples of the services and training that HCC has contracted to deliver to companies and organizations.

Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MET) Program