Shasta College pitches bilingual AgSTEP competency certificate; board asks to consider MOU

Buffy Tanner, Director of Innovations at Shasta College, presented AgSTEP — an expansion of the AgTEC initiative — describing it as a bilingual, competency‑based noncredit agriculture certificate aimed at current farmworkers and prospective agricultural employees. Tanner said the curriculum is organized into fourteen industry‑aligned competencies equivalent to five noncredit course units and described competency‑based assessments that allow students to advance when they demonstrate mastery.

Tanner provided a sample MOU and discussed space needs (access to power, workspace for simulators, greenhouse plugs, and storage). Board members and staff discussed potential partnerships and funding options; the presenter said Shasta College would assist in curriculum approval and local rollout planning if the district is interested in an MOU.