Leading the nation as the largest agricultural producer and exporter, California agriculture is not only a $36 billion dollar industry - it's an economic powerhouse employing close to 2.5 million people, and generating an economic impact of $300 billion annually. Modern agriculture encompasses much more than farms and ranches; agricultural science touches every aspect of American society - from the individual consumer's health and safety to the nation's welfare, security and environmental sustainability. Increasingly, agricultural research is fueling innovation in many parts of the economy not generally associated with agriculture, such as energy, electronics, plastics, and pharmaceuticals.
Agriculture Value Chain for California, an environmental scan recently released by the Centers of Excellence (COE), examines the impact of agriculture across the state, providing a unique perspective of four industry clusters: support, production, processing and packaging, and distribution; while also profiling key factors such as agriculture's economic impact, employment, outlook, workforce challenges and relationship with community colleges. Some of the report's findings include:
- The outlook for employment across the agriculture value chain is healthy - employment estimates for the combined sectors anticipate as many as 180,000 new jobs by 2016.
- Farm, ranch and other agricultural manager jobs are estimated to increase more than 10 percent in the next five years, growth of close to 4,000 positions.
- Agriculture employers indicate a high level of importance for managers and supervisors understanding and applying local and state requirements, regulations, and incentives across all four value chain clusters (97% importance).
- Employers also indicate a level of importance for employees' understanding of agricultural products and services (59% importance).
When hiring for agricultural positions, employers placed emphasis on the need for specialized certifications; a requirement of hands-on experience whether from past jobs or internships; and the need for technical writing skills. Many employers indicated that they have difficulty with hiring employees that have adequate technical writing skills, diesel mechanic certifications, and skills needed for specialized positions.
California Community Colleges are well positioned to address these skills gaps through customized training programs as well as through some existing curriculum offerings. The full study contains recommendations for the colleges to engage employers via partnerships and contract education.
To view the current study, please visit www.coeccc.net. Colleges, industry partners, foundations, or workforce organizations that have inquiries or partnership interest in customized labor market research studies should contact Elaine Gaertner, COE statewide director, at elaineg@cccewd.net, or (408) 288-8611.
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