Training and education
Distanced learning Despite the challenges of the pandemic, training in aquaculture continues to be a popular choice
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ast month, two aquaculture trainees were recognised for their achievements at Lantra Scotland’s ALBAS 21 (Awards for Land-based and Aquaculture Skills) event. Callum Duggan, a freshwater technician with Cooke Aquaculture, won the Aquaculture Learner of the Year category, a pres�gious CARAS award and was the ALBAS Overall Runner-up. Guy Tindall, a marine senior husbandry technician with Grieg Seafood Shetland, was Aquaculture Learner of the Year Runner-up. Callum Duggan has been studying through a Modern Appren�ceship SVQ Level 7 (HNC) in Aquaculture, through the NAFC Marine Centre. He said: “I was surprised and grateful to be nominated for an ALBAS. I’m relishing my current role helping run the site, as I’ve always been interested in fish management. I really enjoy my role and take sa�sfac�on from the site running smoothly, with progress and improvements being made.” Lantra is a charity working to ensure that the UK’s land-based, aquaculture and environmental conserva�on sector a�racts and supports the skilled new entrants and workers that it needs. Dr Liz Barron-Majerik MBE, Director of Lantra Scotland, says that training during the Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging for trainees and providers, but aquaculture con�nues to generate a lot of interest as a career. She says: “Aquaculture is unique among our sectors though, in that there is no college based, full �me course that prepares candidates for work in Aquaculture, which has pros and cons. It can be hard for new entrants to know what to expect, but on the plus side, they are earning while they are learning, and that is very a�rac�ve indeed. So essen�ally all new entrants (unless they have studied outside of Scotland) learn
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on the job and are supported by the company training programme through programmes such as the Modern Appren�ceship and the rela�vely new Technical Appren�ceship. “The la�er in par�cular is a great way to support and retain those within Aquaculture, and in the future I would like to see higher level appren�ceships on offer to other sectors such as Agriculture and Forestry. Certainly Aquaculture is leading the way in this regard!” She adds: “There is certainly an interest in careers in this sector, but as with some of the other sectors that we support, we need more! This is why we are keen for more of those working in the sector to register as STEM Ambassadors, so that every school can access informa�on about the sector and the diverse range of skills that the Aquaculture industry needs.” The Ambassadors’ role is to bring their sector to life talking about everyday experiences at careers events, classroom lessons, STEM-focused events and workshops for teachers and career influencers. Barron-Majerik adds: “We also have our own fantas�c Aquaculture Industry Champions who are helping us spread the word and we have created an interac�ve careers map (at www. scotland.lantra.co.uk/careers/sector/331/aquaculture) to help those considering a career to find out more about the op�ons available.” Stuart Cannon is Managing Director and Owner of Kames Fish Farming, a trout farmer on the west coast of Scotland. He says training for staff at Kames has con�nued through the pandemic, albeit with extra challenges. He explains: “There have been some difficul�es, for example indoor classes were cut and more training had to take place online. Boat training has been OK, generally.” Training is not just for new recruits – at a farm site, staff need to renew their training, typically every four to five years, and there is some concern that if regular updates have been delayed, training when it comes could require more �me and therefore cost more. Recruitment has not been a problem over the past year, Cannon says: “It’s been good – salaries in the sector are a�rac�ve. The work is hard and it can mean long hours during a harvest, but the staff are willing!” The NAFC Marine Centre, based at Scalloway,
Left: Callum Duggan Opposite from top: NAFC; Guy Tindall; Kruger Kaldnes had a great response to its call for engineering applicants
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
12/04/2021 15:17:50
