In support of a growing Blue Economy, Florida Sea Grant launched its HARVEST student internship program to foster the development of a burgeoning aquaculture industry and provide valuable real-world experience to students interested in aquaculture.
HARVEST, Helping Aquaculture Reap Value and Enhance Student Training, is an internship program that offers university students paid internships with partnering aquaculture businesses in Florida. Students are provided with valuable workforce development skills to solve ‘real-world’ problems that impede the productivity of aquaculture businesses. During their internship, students aid in a variety of needs denoted by the aquaculture business such as efforts to increase survivability, productivity, efficiency, sustainability, public outreach, and education. The duties of each internship include but are not limited to: on the farm/hatchery work (animal husbandry, harvesting, processing, culling, data collection); outreach, communications and marketing; equipment maintenance and engineering; development/expansion of new culture methods; and research project assistance.
Florida Sea Grant supports up five student-business internships per year and have supported 17 to date. Florida Sea Grant extension agents and faculty specialists partner with aquaculture business to co-mentor the HARVEST intern during their 2-9 month internship experience. Each HARVEST internship’s duties and projects are based on the needs of the aquaculture business partner and have broader implication to the industry.