Developing a Precision Agriculture Workforce Ladder through Secondary, College, and Incumbent Worker Education that Integrates Emerging Technologies and Farm Data

With an emphasis on two-year colleges, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program focuses on the education of technicians for the high-technology fields that drive our nation's economy. According to projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, technicians are needed to fulfill growing demand in fields that require precision agriculture such as agriculture and food science, environmental science and protection, farm equipment mechanics and service, and land surveying and mapping. Jobs in precision agriculture require a unique combination of technical and agricultural expertise that is not widely available for secondary and college students. The gap between evolving industry need and existing training means that even incumbent workers must seek additional training or education in precision agriculture technologies and practices to acquire jobs and succeed in them. By offering a ladder of enhanced educational experiences to secondary students, two-year college students, and incumbent industry workers, Northeast Community College in Nebraska will educate a wide variety of agriculture workers in line with industry needs as it provides a robust education and training program to support the vital agricultural industry of Nebraska and the United States. A focus of the project is on increasing the number of women and individuals of Hispanic origin in precision agriculture, which will strengthen and diversify an emerging U.S. industry. The deliverables and best practices developed through the project will be disseminated in coordination with ATE Central, at websites reaching agriculture education communities, through regional agriculture and cultural events, and through agriculture education journals and conferences.