A Sneak Peak Into the Future of the Seafood Industry

By Mark Oliver

Technology For the Future

• I am about to reveal a piece of technology that surpasses all others• It will be very valuable to the

seafood industry in years to come• If it wasn’t utilised there would be no

seafood industry!!!

• This Prototype is prone to– Breakdowns– Sudden Halt in

Productivity– Incoherent

communication• But remember, it

does get better as it gets older!

• The future staff, technicians, managers, researchers and dare I say owners are currently in our school system

• Exposure to career options while in school does make a difference

• There are schools throughout Australia with seafood related programs that operate with varying degrees of success

The Facts

Why a High School Engagement Initiative?

An Effective Member of the Australian Seafood Industry

Skills, knowledge and attitude to make it happen

Enthusiasm towards this career

Knowledge of Careers in the

Seafood Industry

Industry Skill Shortage

Education and Training at all levels is contracting

Objectives

• Develop a two way dialogue between the Seafood CRC and two high schools engaging in seafood education

• Through case studies, analyse their seafood education activities

• Outline future possibilities for engagement between the two high schools and Seafood CRC programs.

• To raise the level of enthusiasm and awareness towards the diverse career options within the seafood industry

• Develop frameworks to assist other schools throughout Australia in their pursuit of developing high school based seafood training programs

Outputs

• Three case studies• A High School Aquaculture Program Implementation

Manual which will include:– A guide for integrating aquaculture into existing curriculum– A strategy for initiating a fisheries and aquaculture vocational

training program from the Seafood Industry Training Package– A model for effective industry engagement– Schematic diagrams and estimated costs for the construction

of three different school based aquaculture training facilities• Extension documents and media

• Through an extensive consultation process, the region that seemed to have the highest quality seafood programs embedded in high schools was the Eyre Peninsula.

• More Specifically– Stuart High School, Whyalla– Port Lincoln High School– Cowell Area School

Where Did We Go?

• Have a million dollar plus facility• They grow Barramundi and Murray Cod• They have a heavy emphasis on tourism and

are part of the Seafood and Aquaculture Trail• The facility has a commercial smoker and sell

their product to the public• The facility is utilised by all, not just

aquaculture students

What We Found: Stuart High

• Port Lincoln High have a Seafood Industry Pathways program where students can study aquaculture and or wild catch

• Have a purpose built facility with Trout, Murray Cod and Barramundi

• The Teachers have worked in industry for many years• They have a Federal Trade Training Centre Grant to expand

the facility and include processing and cookery (happening shortly)

• Have very good ties with the Australian Fisheries Academy

What We Found: Port Lincoln High

• Cowell have an indoor facility with a heavy emphasis on sustainability (aquaponics etc)

• Also, they own a commercial oyster farm which has a full time farm manager

• They have around $88000 worth of product this year which around half is already sold

• They are inextricably linked with the local oyster industry

• Many students work on the local farms

What We Found: Cowell Area High

• Some students go• There is an anomaly in the system to do with

pathways• There is also a perception that the effort is not

worth the rewards• It is a real challenge

What About University?

• It seems Cowell has the right model• Difficult to duplicate in larger schools and

communities • Lincoln may be spoilt for choice• Stuart High goes to Yr 10 and then feeds into

another high school with no seafood centre• Industry partnerships and relationships is the key• The magic wand question got the same response –

they all wanted more involvement with industry

Conclusions

• It is a DRAFT and has not gone live• When I converted it from my Video Editing

program to an MPEG file some Text went funky

• I am trying to pitch this video to school children, educators and industry – a real challenge

Video Disclaimer