In New Jersey, shellfish aquaculture is a growing sector of the state’s coastal economy. As the industry expands, the demand for a skilled workforce increases in kind. To meet this need, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and the Rutgers University Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory have developed the Apprenticeship in Shellfish Aquaculture Program (ASAP), a new training program aimed at building a robust pipeline for the New Jersey aquaculture workforce. ASAP is a summer-long program geared towards New Jersey high school students aged 16 and older. Through a combination of in-person instruction, hands-on training, and paid on-farm work experience, ASAP participants learn the inner workings of the shellfish aquaculture industry, gain entry level work skills, and discover what it takes to get food from farm to table. The goal of ASAP is to promote interest in aquaculture career paths in young adults and to build a competent, dynamic workforce. ASAP has four components: 1. School engagement and recruitment; 2. A week-long skill-building “boot camp”; 3. A paid 150-hour apprenticeship on commercial shellfish farms or other aquaculture facilities; and 4. Bi-weekly virtual cohort meetings to connect apprentices with professional development resources.
After a 2022 pilot program, ASAP was fully rolled out in 2024. To recruit students, project coordinators visited 11 public high schools across five counties and engaged with approximately 780 students. During these visits, an aquaculture literacy lesson was presented and specific information about ASAP’s summer work program was shared. More than twice as many applicants applied to the program as could be enrolled, and thirteen students were ultimately selected. During “boot camp,” the apprentices learned basic shellfish husbandry skills and general principles of permitting, regulation, food safety, marketing, and business planning. After, the apprentices began their 8-week on-farm work experience, working side-by-side with shellfish grower mentors. Growers included five oyster farmers, two clam farmers, and one researcher.
All thirteen apprentices completed the program, received a $3600 stipend, and earned a “Shellfish Farming Practice Certificate.” Responses from apprentices and growers was overwhelmingly positive, although participant feedback and lessons learned will be used to improve ASAP in 2025 and the years beyond.