Workforce Development

A competitive workforce is vital to establishing a sustainable agricultural future. As innovation continues to impact agriculture, current and future farmers, ranchers, scientists, and professionals must learn to use advanced technologies, draw from a broader base of scientific knowledge, and develop a wide range of skills. NIFA workforce development programs are intended to provide workers and entrepreneurs with the skills and training necessary to meet the evolving needs of rural businesses, communities and new markets, thus enhancing a region's economic stability and prosperity. 

Importance of Workforce Development

Lack of human talent is constraint to addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as increasing agricultural production to feed a growing population and greater industrial demand. NIFA reinforces the agricultural and food education pipeline by directly supporting the training of students through:

• Grants to educational institutions for the implementation of workforce development and training programs
• Grants for teaching and learning innovation
• Capacity building programs at Minority Serving Institutions 
   

NIFA’s Impact

NIFA is helping to build, train, and sustain the agricultural workforce. NIFA’s workforce development programs have resulted in:

• Greater financial support for students to pursue degrees in food, agriculture, and STEM fields, minimizing financial strain to increase student recruitment, retention, and graduation.
• Strengthening the student-to-career pipeline by funding programs that provide experiential learning and internships, preparing students with the skills needed to fill specialized roles and use advanced agriculture technology.
• Expanded research and extension experiences through hands on programs that incorporate mentoring and hands-on training in the United States and abroad.
• Enhanced support and opportunity for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows to advance food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences.
• More community-building across multi-state programs, resulting in an expanded network of peers and mentors to enhance student learning and engagement.

Greater promotion of workforce development and employability through national program leadership, funding for integrated activities, and collaboration across strategic partnerships.

Grant Programs that Support Workforce Development

The following grant programs support workforce development. NOFO deadlines and updates are announced in the NIFA Update.

• 1890 Land-grant Institutions Programs
  • 1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants (1890 CBG) program
  • Scholarships for Students at 1890 Institutions (1890 Scholarships) Program
  • Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions (1890 COEs) program
• 1994 Tribal College & Universities Programs
  • New Beginning for Tribal Students (NTBS) program
  • Tribal Colleges Education Equity Grants (TCEG) program
• Agriculture and Food Research Initiative – Education and Workforce Development (AFRI-EWD)
  • Agricultural Workforce Training at Community Colleges (AWT) program (A7601)
  • Professional Development for Agricultural Literacy (PDAL) program (A7501)
  • Research and Extension Experiences for Undergraduates (REEU) program (A7401)
  • Predoctoral Fellowships (A7101)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowships (A7201)
• Alaska Native-Serving and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Education Competitive Grants (ANNH) program
• Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP)
• Capacity Building Grants for Non-Land-grant Colleges of Agriculture (NLGCA) program
• Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) program
• From Learning to Leading: Cultivating the Next Generation of Food and Agriculture Professionals (NextGen) program
• Higher Education Multicultural Scholars (MSP) program
• Higher Education Challenge (HEC) program
• Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants (HSI) program
• Resident Instruction Grants (RIIA) program for Institutions of Higher Education in Insular Areas
• Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants (SPECA) program
• Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP)
  • Education, Extension, and Training (EET) Grants
• Women and Minorities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Fields (WAMS) program
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Workforce Development Initiative
  • National WIC Workforce Development
  • WIC Workforce – Implementation Projects