This innovative program to educate and promote aquaculture careers requires high school students to complete custom-developed online training modules about aquaculture as a prerequisite. Students who have successfully completed the online training then have a week-long in-person bootcamp to gain hands-on experience, after which they are placed with employers. The program serves to: 1) increase high school juniors and seniors’ understanding of what aquaculture is and what jobs are available in the industry; 2) expands educational opportunities that meet employers’ needs; and 3) places interns with industry partners, enabling them to gain real-world experience with specific employers.
The program has completed its second year of operation, based in the Middle Peninsula and Northern Neck regions of Virginia and will expand to the Hampton Roads area next year. This program is funded by the Virginia Initiative for Growth and Opportunity in Each Region (GO Virginia), an economic development program. The Promoting Careers in Aquaculture program, led by Virginia Tech, has unique aspects, including a wide variety of partners from diverse institutions including high schools, community colleges, and industry. It has received positive feedback from industry partners, as illustrated by the comment from Sarah Matheson-Harris, Owner and Chief Marketing Officer of Matheson Oyster Company: “When we started working with the interns Virginia Tech placed with us, we had such a good working relationship with them, they ended up bringing on their friends and family members. That led to us developing our own internship program. And it all started with the Virginia Tech program”.
This session will provide background information about the program’s development, implementation, and results, with the goal of spurring development of similar programs in other areas and exchanging information about best practices in aquaculture workforce development.