A new Aquaculture programme to be offered at SIT | Te Pūkenga will meet current and future needs within the region’s rapidly growing aquaculture sector by presenting training and advancement opportunities to Southland’s workforce.
The New Zealand Certificate in Aquaculture - Level 3 with strand in Hatchery, which was developed by NMIT|Te Pūkenga, has been chosen by SIT’s School of Environmental Management to help meet the needs of the local aquaculture industry in Southland.
Programme Manager, Rani Fernandez, said “We selected this programme because it is a rapidly growing industry in Southland, with a high demand for skilled professionals.” SIT went to local industry to examine the needs they had for their workforce. Gaining a recognised qualification helped quantify their knowledge and will allow workers to progress with more ease in the industry, Mrs Fernandez said.
Phil Lockett, Environmental Management Programme Operations Manager at SIT, said the Aquaculture programme presented an exciting new opportunity for industry workers wanting to increase their knowledge, or those looking for a change who wanted to take the first steps to a new career. “Students will learn about sustainable Aquaculture systems, hatchery management, husbandry techniques and fish farming, also gaining industry experience.”
Mrs Fernandez stated the programme was structured to be sufficiently flexible to allow industry workers to fit studies in around work commitments. Upskilling the workforce through providing training and qualifications meant SIT were aligned with the region’s long-term aquaculture goals, and supporting the regional plan, Beyond Southland 2025. Southland’s suitability for aquaculture development had already been established, with necessary attributes in water quality, ocean currents and water temperature.
There was growing demand nationally and internationally for quality, sustainable seafood produced by aquaculture, and the National Aquaculture Strategy released by MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries) aims to build a $3bn per year industry by 2035. “Training workers supplies competence and skills to keep pace with the industry’s growth; everything points towards the need for skilled workers,” Mrs Fernandez said.
SIT is partnering with Ocean Beach, Bluff, Southland’s only land-based aquaculture site, incorporating The New Zealand Abalone Company’s (TNZAC) Pāua farm operation, Manāki Whitebait, the CH4 Global seaweed farm, and Kelp Blue’s Seaweed hatchery.
“Aquaculture or the farming of seafood is one of the fastest growing industries in New Zealand and Southland is on track to be New Zealand’s largest aquaculture region,” said Blair Wolfgram, who is the Managing Director of Ocean Beach, Bluff, as well as deputy chair of the Aotearoa New Zealand Seaweed Association (ANZSA).
He said to begin with, SIT students’ industry-based training at Ocean Beach would be focused on the pāua and whitebait farms.
“They’ll be working directly with the two companies to give them experience with a shellfish and a finned fish. They’ll be learning the full life cycle of each species, right through to harvest.” They would start to integrate students into training on the seaweed farm next year, Mr Wolfgram added.
He stated it was important to increase the community’s knowledge about aquaculture because the industry was going to continue to grow. The company was in the consultation process of looking at salmon as a species to farm. There were further education opportunities with students coming from other parts of NZ to carry out research. There were also long-term plans to make Bluff a destination for seafood tourism, with eateries, a distillery, accommodation and more.
“One of the challenges the aquaculture industry in Southland will have as it grows is around attracting committed, skilled people,” Mr Wolfgram said. The SIT course would help to provide the impetus for those starting their journey, to take their first steps and see if they want to commit to aquaculture as a career.
Aquaculture provided work opportunities across different types of seafood, including shellfish, fin-fish and seaweed, and a variety of roles within each. “ ... the skills are transferable; it is a huge industry around the world. It does enable people to look at opportunities offshore, as well as attract people to NZ and Southland,” Mr Wolfgram said. “It is going to take some time, but it is really important we grow that knowledge base and get people educated and excited about Aquaculture.”
SIT’s Aquaculture programme will be a combination of classroom sessions, field trips, and industry exposure. Graduates will be equipped for diverse roles in aquaculture farms, research organisations, and marine vessels. The 16-week, full-time blended learning programme gives students flexibility, where they can choose to learn the theory online or on campus. The on-campus classes will be two days per week. The course is due to start February 19th, 2024.
Mrs Fernandez said they have already started working on the level 4 course, which will allow industry workers to continue their professional development and access more career options within the sector.