Join us as we unpack the Aquaculture Internships for Massachusetts (AIM) pilot program, sharing the successes and challenges encountered over the program’s two cohorts that were recruited and trained through substantially different approaches. Aquaculture and seafood industry members have been communicating to state and federal agencies and Sea Grant programs that workforce development is needed in order for businesses to sustain themselves and grow. How to best structure those programs is a work in progress. With the express goal of recruiting from communities infrequently connected to the aquaculture sector, AIM is but one such response to the need for workforce pipelines, and adds to the tapestry of internship and apprenticeship programs in development throughout the Northeast. It is crucial that our sector can learn from these trials. Please join us as we update on the developments of AIM, hear our story, and share your honest feedback on the direction we should take next.
In this session, you are not just going to hear why what we did was awesome. Instead, we’ll aim to consider with you the limitations we faced through honest reflection, giving space for you to imagine novel yet effective structures for workforce development programs to fuel our growing industry.