new ag workforce and technology software to steer valley into the future

a brand new initiative guarantees to bring the san joaquin valley’s agriculture enterprise into the destiny, with creative and modern advancements in agricultural generation, engineering, and body of workers education and training.
a $15 million funding from the kingdom, made viable by using sen. anna caballero, will help fund the new agrifood generation and engineering collaborative (agtec). led with the aid of the principal valley community foundation, agtec will leverage the energy of community schools throughout the valley — with contributions from small farmers and multinational organizations alike — to revolutionize how agricultural employees examine the talents they need to pursue profitable careers inside the enterprise.
dreams of the program, which become introduced sept. 6 at a press conference at the merced college campus, include the education and upskilling of 8,400 task-geared up employees within four years, a 60% growth in wages for agricultural people, and a complete funding of $50 million towards team of workers development.
“the san joaquin valley is one in all the most important manufacturers of food inside the international, yet our communities keep to conflict with poverty and unemployment,” said caballero (d-merced).

“agtec provides innovation, education and training a good way to result in higher-paying jobs and a fair greater vibrant industry for our area.”
the agtec software is part of the fresno-merced future of food (f3) innovation initiative, a cvcf-led collaboration that pursuits to fund a valley-wide climate-smart agrifood technology and engineering cluster with a focal point on digitalization and data technological know-how, mechatronics, equipment, and structures checking out and integration for agrifood programs. the program is a collaborative group of workers education software among seven local colleges, including merced, reedley, madera, fresno city, clovis, west hills lemoore and coalinga, and university of the sequoias.
f3 seeks to force each economic boom and equity, spurring inclusive innovation and commercialization whilst constructing a unbroken talent development pipeline and catalyzing local marketplace increase of the small-scale farm and meals enterprise.
the f3 initiative final week become named a recipient of $65 million through the u.s. monetary improvement administration’s build returned better nearby task. as a part of this allocation, merced college will get hold of extra than $27 million to serve as the venture lead for the agtec team of workers initiative, which will include a brand new ag technology innovation center.
“the demanding situations confronted by using the principal valley can most effective be solved via partnerships and collaboration, with underneath-resourced communities mobilizing to forge new paths for civic renewal, inclusion and trade,” said ashley swearengin, ceo of cvcf. “more than simply financial development, this is a tale of marshalling the collective effect of our excellent partners in enterprise, schooling and authorities to create a higher future for our region.”
merced university, along with the seven other community schools and employee representatives, will increase a new, included approach to ag technician education that ensures a protracted-time period sustainable and equitable workforce pipeline. the end result might be open get right of entry to to a joint local education program with the capability to double the once a year group of workers pipeline.
the brand new schooling will incorporate competency-based totally schooling (cbe) — which awards credit for demonstrating wanted competencies, in place of mandating redundant traditional coursework — main to a nearby, enterprise-diagnosed “carried out agriculture structures certificate” with stackable credentials.
president chris vitelli stated merced college is commemorated to acquire this allocation, for you to aid the agtec component for all colleges as part of the f3 initiative, given its long tune report of supporting agriculture via industry partnerships and the progressive, supportive schooling and education it affords to local students.
the agtec announcement came about simply outside the university’s logo-new raj kahlon agriculture and industrial era complex, a modern, 29,000-rectangular-foot facility with the intention to offer an modern area for collaboration among a number of related disciplines. a ribbon reducing for the building is scheduled for midday on thursday, sept. 15.
“at merced college, we are usually trying to the future and envisioning new and revolutionary ways to serve and aid our students, at the same time as also contributing to the success and increase of our location,” vitelli stated. “we couldn’t be greater proud or extra excited to be a part of the agtec initiative, and to offer this brilliant new facility to gain our students, educators and enterprise partners.”