Salinas, CA  — Drone, Aviation, and Robotics Technology (DART), in partnership with California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), has been awarded grant funding from the James Irvine Foundation, Priority Communities Initiative, to expand their work on Advancing Equitable Access to High-Quality Jobs of the Future in the Monterey Bay. This initiative builds on years of successful workforce and infrastructure development and will position Salinas as a statewide model for equitable access to careers in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS).

Project Goals

The initiative is guided by four strategic goals:

• Establish Salinas as a Model for Equitable Workforce Access by piloting new aviation maintenance and drone operations training programs.
• Expand Accessible Training Pathways that connect students, Career Technical Education (CTE) programs, community colleges, and adult learners to high-demand jobs.
• Support Critical Infrastructure Development through coordinated airspace and ground planning to attract and retain advanced aviation employers in the region.
• Advance Regional and Statewide Leadership by elevating the Monterey Bay’s role in AAM and UAS through the annual LIFT Summit and collaboration with industry, education, and government partners.

Strategic Investment and Cumulative Impacts

This transformational renewal grant investment of $2 million, brings the cumulative Irvine Foundation investment in this initiative to $5.5 million since 2022. Outcomes of these investments supporting DARTs Workforce, Infrastructure and Ecosystem programs,  include:

• Establishing the DART-Joby Advanced Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program (AMAP) leading to over 90 apprentices trained into full-time roles at Jobys Marina manufacturing facilities since 2022.
• Strengthening of Monterey Bay regional workforce development ecosystem across community colleges, K-12 education, workforce board and community-based organization partners, to meet the imminent 500+ new manufacturing roles in Jobys expanded manufacturing site.
• Catalyzing legislative leadership action to support the expanding evtol and emission-free aviation sector, as well as meaningful impact in recent $9.5 million Calcompetes grant awards to retain Jobys manufacturing footprint in California.     

Workforce Programs Funded

This renewal grant award will allow DART and its industry and workforce partners to launch two new cornerstone workforce development programs:

• Aviation Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship (AMTA) Pathways developed in collaboration with Joby Aviation and regional education institutions.
• RV-12 Airplane Build Lab, providing FAA-certified training credits in partnership with regional schools, serving as a scalable model for hands-on aviation education statewide.
  

Broader Impact

The project addresses the unique demographics and economic challenges of Salinas and Monterey County, where much of the workforce is concentrated in low-wage agricultural jobs. By creating high-road pathways into family-sustaining careers, DART is ensuring that communities historically excluded from high-tech growth are at the forefront of California’s rapidly growing aviation and autonomous systems economy.

“Advanced aviation and autonomous systems will fundamentally reshape transportation, logistics, and emergency response,” said Josh Metz, Executive Director of DART. “Through this initiative, we are ensuring that Salinas and Monterey Bay are not just participants in this transformation, but leaders—anchoring equity, workforce inclusion, and community benefit at the center of these industries.”