Southland's growing aquaculture industry is destined to benefit from a new course being offered by the Southern Institute of Technlogy (SIT).

SIT Programme Manager, Rani Fernandez said the New Zealand Certificate in Aquaculture - Level 3 had been selected in consultation with local Southland industry.

Gaining a recognised qualification would help quantify workers knowledge and allow them to progress with more ease in the industry, she said.

It was also seen as supporting not only Southland's regional plan, Beyond Southland 2025, but also the Ministry for Primary Industries' National Aquaculture Strategy which 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,” Fernandez said.

The SIT course will also be partnering with Southland’s only land-based aquaculture site at Ocean Beach, Bluff.

The site incorporates The New Zealand Abalone Company’s (TNZAC) Pāua farm operation, Manāki Whitebait, the CH4 Global seaweed farm, and Kelp Blue’s Seaweed hatchery.

Managing Director of Ocean Beach, Blair Wolfgram said the farming of seafood was one of the fastest growing industries in New Zealand and Southland is on track to be New Zealand’s largest aquaculture region.

“One of the challenges the aquaculture industry in Southland will have as it grows is around attracting committed, skilled people.”

Wolfgram said SIT students’ industry based training at Ocean Beach would initially 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.”

Integrating students into training on the seaweed farm would take place next year, Wolfgram said.

Looking to the future Wolfgram said his company was in the consultation process of looking at salmon as a species to farm.

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, he said.

The course is due to start February 19th, 2024.

CLICK HERE for further course information.