Institute creates a safe haven for immigrants to advance their educations, careers
Adults yet to complete their high school education and seeking to advance their skills can do so free of cost through a newly launched institute in Modesto.
Educators across Stanislaus County have sought help from the Farm workers Institute of Education and Leadership Development (FIELD), said Delilah Martinez. “Within the last year, we had educators reach out to us and say, ‘There’s a gap here for our students and we’re trying to find means with which to fill that gap,’” said Martinez, director of educational programs at FIELD.
Between 2015 and 2019, an estimated 21.1% of residents in Stanislaus County age 25 and older had yet to complete their high school education, Census data shows. That’s higher than the state total of 16.7%.
One barrier that keeps adults from obtaining their high school diploma is that they’ve aged out of the K-12 school system, Martinez said. Though they can still obtain an equivalent by taking the General Educational Development (GED) test, research shows that those who complete the GED are not better off job-wise than high school dropouts, NPR reports.
Another barrier immigrants often encounter is financial cost because of their length of residency in California, Martinez said. Undocumented individuals who have attended a high school in the Golden State for at least three years are exempt from paying nonresident and supplemental tuition thanks to the passage of Assembly Bill 540 in 2001, but those who don’t qualify have that higher-education expense.
All education and work training programs offered through FIELD are free to students, though. Prospective students need to provide a driver’s license or identification card to sign up, but undocumented individuals may complete an affidavit instead, Martinez said.
Founded in 1978 by Cesar Chavez, FIELD is meant to provide economic opportunities for immigrants and other underserved communities by providing education and workforce training.
Since 2002, the organization has served over 100,000 residents of the Central Valley, said David Villarino, president and CEO of FIELD. It has over 26 centers across California, offering English as a second language instruction, high school courses and training for careers in solar energy, early childhood education, firefighting, recycling, business management, natural resources and agriculture.
Villarino believes higher wages aren’t the key to overcoming poverty. It’s through the creation of assets, or individuals gaining skills to make themselves valuable, that those in poverty will be able to build wealth, he said.
“We’ve done a lot of research in terms of those economic sectors that offer promise for growth in rural communities,” he said, adding that FIELD is also in the process of raising funds and training people so that student cohorts can own businesses.
FIELD is also looking to hire qualified educators for its Modesto center, with a preference for bilingual teachers. Applicants must have their multiple-subject credential and have an English learner authorization.
Students interested in enrolling may do so in person or online by going to www.farmworkerinstitute.org.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Institute creates a safe haven for immigrants to advance their educations, careers."
