MOHAVE COUNTY – Arizona’s Veterans Agricultural Education and Apprenticeship Program (VAEAP) is an education program specifically designed for returning veterans and their efforts to rejoin the workforce, and to give veterans a sense of therapy through agriculture and animal care. This program is run by Apex Applied Technology Inc. (AATech) and is funded with the help of federal grants (80%). The rest is covered by AATech’s contributions. AATech has been up and running for about five years.
This program educates veterans on agriculture, agricultural technology and networks them into opportunities to work with this newfound knowledge.
“I’m very impressed and grateful for the quality information that is being presented to us free of charge” an anonymous VAEAP veteran writes, “The ability to communicate and be taught by professors from some prestigious universities free of charge is kinda hard to believe.”
The program has three main segments: online classes, hands-on classes at a host farm and/or technology classes. Possible recruitment and grant application including a career consultation with a professional comes last.
There are about 33 classes to choose from. Online classes would take about four to six weeks to complete, there would be virtual discussions with a professor as well as discussion groups with other online students. More online networking opportunities would be available. “Online field trips” are also included with online classes. Online classes go at whatever pace the student would like to go at, with a recommended four classes to be taken before your in-person internship.
Internships last a week, or 40 hours, and five credits. The student would be provided with expense-paid lodging at one of four host farms that may be chosen from, with Mohave County’s closest farm being Rosebird Farms, located in Kingman. Opportunities in agriculture, horticulture, landscaping, and nursery care are available. Agriculture technology education is an option, learning about things like solar technology, irrigation, and off-grid drones.
Grant applications under VAEAP are completely free of charge. Career discussions between the veteran and a professional helps with not only the specific direction they may want to take their career, but also may help improve business development, networking opportunities, and AATech may be able to sign students off for job referrals depending on how much progress students are able to make in the classes.
This internship opportunity is shown to benefit their students whether or not students decide to adopt this experience into their place in the workforce. When asked to describe any changes to their goals since the beginning of their time in the program, an anonymous veteran writes, “I have since started compost bins I have built on my own. Learned how to financially prepare and plan for what I want to do. Learned soil types, planting zones, companion planting. I have changed from a small garden and ‘hoping things grow by trial and error’ to having an actual plan of execution.”
The VAEAP is another step against veteran homelessness and toward mental health prevention that the community is taking. This program gives veterans a wonderful opportunity if they feel like they need a little help, want to give back to the community, or if they’re just personally interested in what the program has to offer.
Noel Mabile
