Lantra Scotland, the training and skills body for land-based industries and aquaculture, has officially become the new host of Women in Scottish Aquaculture (WiSA).
Lantra, which already plays a key role in Women in Agriculture and Women in Forestry, will now provide training, qualifications, and skills development opportunities for WiSA members.
Dr Liz Barron-Majerik MBE, director of Lantra Scotland, said the body was looking forward to developing the WiSA network. “Growing the diversity of the sectors we work with is very important to us, and whilst we can bring learning from our work with forestry and agriculture, we can also learn from the journey WiSA has been on, and from the experience and expertise of the advisory group,” she said.
Established by the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) in 2019, WiSA aims to support the growth and development of women in the aquaculture sector and now boasts nearly 400 participants from across the finfish, shellfish, and seaweed sectors.
SAIC is stepping back to focus on finfish health R&D, prompting the search for a new host earlier this year.
“Since WiSA began on International Women’s Day 2019, it has grown into a powerful grassroots network championing women and supporting hundreds of aquaculture professionals with career development,” said Heather Jones, founder of WiSA.
“The network is thriving, and it is fantastic to hand over the reins to the team at Lantra who will see the valuable work continue.”
Strengthening Lantra’s commitment, Jillian Couto-Phoenix, former head of skills and talent at SAIC, has been appointed as Lantra’s new head of aquaculture.
“Joining Lantra is an exciting next step, allowing me to build on my achievements to date at SAIC and continue working in aquaculture,” she said.
“We have an abundance of talent, whom we must continue to nurture to ensure they have the skills and qualifications to match sector requirements as they evolve to embrace new technology and tackle new challenges.”
