The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre has been celebrating a decade of upskilling with a afternoon of networking and discussion.
Since the launch of its skills programme in 2014, SAIC has helped nearly 500 academics and private sector workers through a range of measures such as scholarships, paid-work placements, leadership courses and digital skills training.
To commemorate the milestone, SAIC brought industry leaders and new entrants together at its ‘Nurturing Talent in Scottish Aquaculture’ event to showcase the diverse ways it plans to support the next generation of talent.
“Over the last ten years, SAIC has existed primarily to connect industry needs with academic expertise via a portfolio of research and development,” said Heather Jones, chief executive of SAIC.
“Alongside our research and development, SAIC has been nurturing talent by creating cohorts of professionals from across organisations within the aquaculture sector with the purpose of innovating, leading and guiding careers.”
During the event, participants enjoyed a Q&A session with members of SAIC’s nine-month leadership course, followed by talks from a panel of mid-career professionals.
The event ended with an open discussion on the power of mentoring programmes, highlighting the Women in Scottish Aquaculture network.
“It was energising to hear from professionals from across a range of disciplines, telling us that our programmes have helped them to develop key skills which they have implemented at work and seen positive results,” concluded Jones.
