In 2020, Florida Sea Grant (FSG) initiated an aquaculture training program, HARVEST (Helping Aquaculture Reap Value and Enhance Student Training) , offering Florida university and college students part-time internships with aquaculture businesses. The internships helped fill a variety of needs expressed by Florida aquaculture businesses to improve their efficiency, public outreach, productivity, and sustainability. Students worked as employees of the University of Florida and partnered with an aquaculture business and a FSG agent, specialist, or affiliate. FSG mentors were responsible for establishing the student-business partnership, providing training where warranted, and reporting program results . The participating aquaculture business was responsible for training and co-mentoring the student in their aquaculture practice , providing a safe and hospitable working environment, and agreeing to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles to create a safe working environment for women and minorities. The vision of the program was to foster a strong and productive working relationship among FSG, businesses, and students. The HARVEST program provided internship salaries and additional funding for supplies to participating businesses in support of the interns’ work. The interns’ experiences ranged from on-farm production work , maintenance of equipment, storm preparation, developing outreach and communications materials related to offshore aquaculture, social media marketing in support of an aquaculture business, and assistance with scientific projects related to improving aquaculture production (for example, evaluating the performance of selectively bred diploid and triploid oysters , and assessing the viability of wild oyster spat collection for aquaculture). Since inception, 7 interns supported 7 businesses, resulting in a $100 ,000 benefit (defraying employee and supplies costs) for these industry members . The HARVEST program exposed students to the aquaculture industry , provided financial and workforce support for participating businesses during a particularly difficult period due to COVID, and the framework for a continuing program that will train a future coastal workforce , increasing the competitiveness of the Florida aquaculture industry.