NextGen Curriculum Development WG’s NextGen Curriculum Development effort will address the need for agriculture worker education by developing a curriculum that can be leveraged across campuses in the University of California, California State University and California Community College systems to provide the training needed for agtech expertise for the next-gen agricultural workforce. In a train-the-trainer format, this programwill prepare professors across California college and university campuses to teach the cross- disciplinary skills that will be required of new agricultural workers. Junior AgSharks Students from middle and high schools in rural areas are invited to serve as AgSharks, where they listen to pitches from agricultural technology startups and vet their technologies as well as learn about the latest technologies by interacting with leaders in the agriculture industry and venture capitalist space. With this exposure, students become aware of the fact that the industry needs future leaders who are interested in STEM-related topics. Home for the Holidays An annual professional mixer where college students are invited to an exclusive meet-and-greet with agriculture industry leaders and technology companies. Nearly 100 students from CSU Monterey Bay, Hartnell Community College, UC Davis, Cal Poly Pomona and Fresno State have participated in “Home for the Holidays,” meeting professionals from top companies including Amazon Web Services, Taylor Farms and more. With five robust initiatives, WG is the first
at transitioning the agriculture workforce to master rapidly developing agricultural technology. The initiative is anchored by four AgTechX Ed events in key rural areas across California. The outcome for each event will be a roadmap of the following: • specific skills needed in the fresh produce industry—now and in the future • training opportunities currently available • steps to revamp college curriculum • new educational pathways for agtech workforce development • partnerships between industry, government and academia to adapt education to the changing needs of agriculture
fresh produce association to tackle the monumental task of developing the future agtech workforce. WG recently announced this comprehensive Agtech Workforce Readiness Campaign at AgTechX Ed at Reedley College on Aug. 25, 2021, along with the official rollout of https://www. agtechworkforce.com/. Agtechworkforce.com is a one-stop-shop where stakeholders can: • find information about WG’s initiatives • watch videos and read articles about students who are already making a difference in the workforce • hear directly from farmers about workforce needs • join the cause To learn more about the Agtech Workforce Readiness Campaign, visit agtechworkforce.com or attend the next AgTechx Ed event at Imperial Valley College in January 2022.
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