The Marine Farming Association has teamed up with NMIT to offer one student a leg up into the Aquaculture industry.
The MFA has announced it will fund a scholarship for one Golden Bay school leaver each year to study NMIT’s new Diploma in Aquaculture starting next year.
By year two MFA will have two students under the scheme at any point in time.
The two-year course has been developed with support from all sectors of the industry to meet industry requirements and skills training for the future.
MFA president Rob Pooley said the scholarship was created to provide a helping hand to someone who is passionate about working in the industry and also to promote aquaculture to the next crop of local graduates.
“There is a genuine desire from the MFA to provide a pathway into the industry,” Rob said.
“We want to put up an opportunity for the young ones to get a taste of the industry and create a link from school, through further study, and into work on the water.
“The scholarship provides the conduit for industry to meet and support genuinely interested students in their efforts to enter the industry.
“Aquaculture will ultimately underpin seafood around the globe, inviting the future participants to come on board at such an early stage in their life can only be a win squared.”
The scholarship will cover half of the student’s tuition fees, and is offered only to students who come from the Golden Bay area.
To promote the scholarship, the MFA has organised a field trip for students to get a close look at the industry on September 22.
Interested students must submit an application by October 31, including a 400 word essay demonstrating their reasons for wanting to work in the industry.
“We’re looking for someone who demonstrates a genuine desire to work in the industry,” Rob said.
