FARMWORKERS INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT INC

Our goal is to serve 250,000 individuals in the next ten years. We have served over 80,000 individuals so far through our ESL classes, our high school program, and our career technical education classes. We want to help individuals to be self-sufficient and have the ability to work for themselves through the formation of worker owned cooperatives

We help students acquire the English language skills they need by enrolling them into ESL classes. As their language skills improve, we help enroll them into our charter high school, Escuela Popular Instituto Campesino de César Chavez (EPIC), so that they can obtain their high school diploma which is WASC accredited. This in turn opens many doors for them to either enroll in higher education or obtain jobs that require a high school diploma. We also provide career technical education (CTE) programs to give our students the skills they need to either operate their own businesses as part of cooperatives or to continue on to higher education. Our CTE programs enable students to master the skills they need in the workforce and provide them with opportunities to earn certificates that lead to higher paying jobs.

FIELD has been around since 1978 when it was started by Cesar Chavez to help bring education and training to farmworkers. Since then, FIELD has served over 80,000 individuals through its education and training programs. FIELD/EPIC operates a charter high school that serves students in 31 cities around California. It also offers ESL instruction in 6 cities in Kern County to over 1,925 students every year. FIELD/EPIC has also received CTEIG grants totaling over $1.8 million to provide career technical education to students

FIELD has served over 80,000 individuals by providing them access to education and training throughout California especially in rural areas. FIELD is now making progress towards training individuals in order for them to own their own businesses as part of cooperatives. FIELD will not only help train students, but it will also help them launch their cooperatives by providing them guidance and financial assistance and by joining the students as part owner of the cooperatives.