Lidia Bautista’s work as a picker at the Monterey Mushroom Co. is hard, exhausting, and comes with a risk of injury. Bautista, a 24-year-old, wanted to attend college, but, as a single mom of a 5-year-old, she went to work full time instead.
But now Bautista has gotten a chance to further her education while she’s working. And she hopes to trade in her agricultural job for one where she uses her mind, rather than her body. She and 11 other farm workers and children of farm workers make up the pilot group of the AdelanTECH Leadership Program. Through lessons in Web development and programming online, they will get a technology degree in one year. They are also learning about interviewing, presenting themselves and job readiness through the nonprofit leadership trainer Coro.
Since starting last summer, Bautista has seen a difference.
“I feel more confident about myself,” she said. “I can talk in front of people and express myself. The first time I had to talk in front of the group, I was so nervous I was shaking.”
Seeking to better represent the demographics of the state, AT&T California backed the program financially and teamed up with the United Farm Workers (UFW) to look for 18- to 24-year-olds interested in learning both technology skills and leadership.
Ken McNeely, president of AT&T California, says that he was excited to work with the legendary union started by Cesar Chavez in the most heavily agricultural region of the state.
“One of the things that struck me as a particular oddity was the proximity of Silicon Valley to the Central Valley and the great disparity we were seeing there,” he said. “There was a real opportunity gap.”
