California Employment Training Panel announces $10 million agriculture training initiative, College of Sequoias contract

Robert Meyer, director of economic development for the California Employment Training Panel, told attendees at the Sequoia Regional Economic Development Summit in Tulare County that ETP has allocated $10,000,000 toward training workers in the agriculture sector.

Meyer said the funding is intended "to help employers address the training needs of its agriculture workers" and to prepare workers for career advancement and retention. He described ETP as "a state of California agency that provides funding to offset investments in job skills training," adding that eligible training under the initiative can include employer-defined job-specific skills, vocational English and basic technology training.

The initiative, Meyer said, covers "all aspects of the agriculture sector," including farming, ranching, commercial fishing and timber, and can extend to agriculture-adjacent industries such as food processing, manufacturing and irrigation-related crop technologies.

Meyer also announced that, last Friday, ETP approved a contract with the College of Sequoias for nearly $463,000 to train more than 500 workers in employer-customized job skills focused on manufacturing, agriculture and logistics. He said ETP is partnering with the San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Working Group to leverage clean energy investments "to create a dynamic and inclusive economy that engages local talent and creates high road jobs," and noted the group includes UC Merced and the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation.

Meyer closed by congratulating the Tulare County Economic Development Corporation on its 40th year of operation and thanking the organization for serving the county and the Central Valley.

There were no formal votes or actions recorded in the transcript of Meyer’s remarks; his comments were delivered as part of the Summit's program.