New masters
Left: Heather with Tasmanian mussel growers during her recent fact-finding trip
tional taught masters places at the universities of Dundee and Stirling, in a programme we’re calling the SAIC scholars. As well as enjoying fully funded places (for
Scottish and EU, but not rest of the UK, stu- dents), SAIC scholars will benefit from connec- tions to industry, and their project work will align with one of SAIC’s four priority innovation action (PIAs) areas: sea lice control research; rapid detection of viral pathogens; alternative sustainable feeds for finfish; and shellfish. In the process, the scholars will boost their employ- ability, and the industry can benefit from their input and innovation. In providing funding for these 25 SAIC schol-
ars, the Scottish Funding Council is not just backing SAIC and Scottish universities, but also supporting the sustainability of the Scottish aquaculture industry. By encouraging and enabling Scottish and EU
students to do research projects linked to our PIAs, the funding strongly connects talent to the aquaculture industry in Scotland. As well as helping keep Scottish talent within the local industry, it also draws in talent from other EU countries to Scotland – thereby acting as a magnet that will benefit the industry and the Scottish economy in years to come. The SAIC scholars places at Stirling and Dun-
dee to do MScs related to sustainable aqua- culture are exciting and important, but there’s much more to be done. Education should not stop on the day that people graduate. Nor
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should it be confined to those who take the traditional academic route. So, the gaps we identify and the skills development we pursue could extend right through from university courses to practical skills, such as boat handling, health and safety at sea, and fish husbandry.
Spreading the net wide One phrase crops up frequently in SAIC’s con-
versations and communications: connect and collaborate. It covers a wealth of our activities, including: bringing industry and researchers together; enabling knowledge transfer and col- laboration between the aquaculture sector and related sectors, from genetics to engineering; and connecting the right people. Naturally, we’re also applying our ‘connect and
collaborate’ mantra to our skills development activities. For example, in February we had discussions with the Nelson and Marlborough Institute of Technology in New Zealand about industry relevant vocational training, and we also met with the Cawthron Institute to dis- cuss possible knowledge exchange initiatives. I hope Scottish aquaculture, and therefore the Scottish economy, will benefit greatly from these discussions. Another avenue for education and skills
development – and not just for the SAIC – is to get people interested in aquaculture as early as possible. We recently signed up to the ScotGrad Life Sciences CV competition and will take an undergraduate intern this summer.
Perhaps the intern may discover a career for life.
The talent of the future For Scotland’s current generation of under-
graduates and even school pupils, aqua- culture offers great prospects: a variety of industry and academic career paths; good job prospects both in Scotland and international- ly; travel; and skills that will still be in demand in decades’ time. An attractive combination. So let’s spread the word, even if just infor- mally. The immediate priority for the SAIC – as
well as the industry, the universities, and the training providers – is to analyse and develop the skills provision we need in the short-term and medium-term, and to put the right skills in the right places. But let’s also think about how we can get the
right people into the industry, whether that’s engineers or geneticists whose expertise can solve urgent problems or open up new reve- nues; or talented, ambitious undergraduates and school leavers who will produce results in future decades. If I hear of some bright 16-year-olds asking
what Higher or A/S subjects are the right ones for a career in aquaculture, I’ll know we’re doing something right – not just at the SAIC, but within the commercial and academic commu- nities as well. And the industry will be more sustainable as a result. FF
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