The United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) is looking for students to apply for their scholarship under the National Farmworker Jobs Program. The program is funded by the US Department of Labor and offers free career and training services to youth farmworkers.

According to their brochure, “UMOS is a nonprofit advocacy organization that provides programs and services which improve the employment, educational, health, and housing opportunities of underserved populations.”

UMOS spreads across the nation with offices in several states and headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

To be eligible for the program, students must be registered with selective service, be legally authorized to work in the US, plan to enroll in a training program of two years or less in a high demand industry at a registered Wisconsin training provider, and worked in agriculture for the last two years.

The NFJP is strict only to Wisconsin and open year-round. There is no deadline to apply. There are also no limits on how many students can apply.

Alexandra Menjivar, a supportive caseworker for the NFJP, describes the program as, “[following] students throughout their entire training career to ensure that the student has all the tools needed to graduate. In a way, our program is better than a scholarship because we are there to provide guidance and financial support throughout their schooling.”

Students who hope to go to a technical college for agriculture, business, medicine, construction, manufacturing, or welding are open to enrolling in the program.

Menjivar says, “NFJPs goal is to help students succeed despite whatever financial barriers might exist.”

Maritza Caban, another worker on the program, stated, “We help eligible farmworkers youth & or adults interested in pursuing post-secondary education (max associate degree) or short-term training. They can receive case management services, financial assistance toward tuition, housing, books, food, and gas during their training to name a few of the benefits.”

For those who do enroll and get accepted into the program, those benefits include help with tuition costs through the school; rent, food, and gas assistance; career training supplies; a weekly stipend of $7.25 for every hour in a training class up to thirty hours per week for up to 20 weeks, which evens out to up to $800 a month just for attending classes; and career counseling.