Marketplace Tech Farm workers head back to school to upskill in agtech
May 22, 2025
In California's Central Valley, a groundbreaking program is empowering farm workers with tech skills. The inaugural graduation ceremony showcases inspiring personal stories of students overcoming challenges. One worker shares her journey towards a tech-centric role, highlighting the critical role of education in farming's future. The celebration emphasizes community impact, as graduates aspire for enhanced opportunities and better livelihoods, promising a brighter agricultural landscape.
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Supporting Farmworker Upskilling
- The Central Valley AgTEC Workforce program offers free technical training to farmworkers to help them adapt to evolving agricultural technologies.
- It exemplifies meeting students where they are and supporting them to open future opportunities.
Balancing Work and Study
- Filiberto Hernandez Montantes balanced working as a forklift operator and studying programming of screen panels online early in the morning.
- He managed full-time work with learning, attending classes from 5 to 7 a.m. before starting his shift.
Farmworker Pursuing AgTech Skills
- Nadia Olivos struggled with learning Microsoft Excel but persisted because she saw technological change at her farm.
- She aspires to move from fieldwork to a tech role managing plant data on computers.