CENTRAL COAST — Hartnell College and Monterey Bay DART are launching a new two-year regional workforce initiative designed to connect local residents to careers in drones, aerospace technology and advanced aviation.
Known as the Maturing Regional AgTech and Aerospace Job Readiness Pathways program, or MsUAS Pathways program, the initiative is funded through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation and is designed to create clear entry points into a sector experiencing rapid growth across California and the nation.
Over the next two years, the program aims to serve 150 participants across Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, with at least 50 participants expected to earn FAA Part 107 certification — the federal credential required for commercial drone operations.
The program is intended to reach residents who may not traditionally see themselves reflected in aerospace careers, including first-generation college students, veterans, military-connected learners and underserved communities.
“Advanced aviation is creating new opportunities, but long-term success depends on making sure communities are connected to those opportunities through practical workforce preparation, accessible training, and direct pathways into employment,” said Josh Metz, executive director of Monterey Bay DART.
The initiative is organized around five coordinated workstreams designed to move participants from early exposure to certification, career readiness and long-term employment pathways.
The first workstream focuses on community college drone education, where DART and Hartnell College are developing a standalone FAA Part 107 certification course and integrating drone curriculum into existing STEM and agricultural technology programs. Monterey Peninsula College is also participating through a pilot drone pathway planned for its Seaside and Marina campuses.
A second workstream centers on community-based pathways in Seaside, developed in partnership with local schools and community-based organizations to create accessible technical career entry points for youth and adults facing barriers to high-growth industries.
A third workstream builds veteran and military-connected pathways, leveraging the region’s connection to the Naval Postgraduate School and Defense Language Institute to help military experience translate into FAA certifications and civilian aerospace opportunities.
The fourth workstream focuses on direct employer engagement, with DART strengthening ties to employers in aerospace, agriculture, construction, public safety and advanced air mobility, including collaboration with Joby Aviation to help ensure participants move from training into employment.
The fifth workstream emphasizes long-term sustainability through program coordination, evaluation and development of future funding strategies designed to extend the initiative beyond the grant period.
The effort is tightly coordinated with the UC Santa Cruz CITRIS Initiative for Drone Education and Research (CIDER), aligning local implementation with broader statewide FAA curriculum development and delivery capacity.
The program reflects Monterey Bay DART’s broader regional workforce strategy, which also includes aviation maintenance apprenticeships, advanced manufacturing partnerships and major industry convenings where leaders explore opportunities and share emerging workforce development practices across the low-altitude economy.
That work was highlighted through DART’s annual LIFT Summit recently held in Monterey, which brought together more than 250 advanced air mobility leaders, innovators, policymakers and industry representatives over three days to discuss next-generation aviation, workforce development, infrastructure readiness and airspace integration.
As advanced aviation continues moving toward broader deployment across California, DART and its regional partners are focused on ensuring Central Coast communities are positioned to participate in and benefit from the jobs, industries and innovation taking shape. For more information, visit mbdart.org.
