Shellfish aquaculture is an increasingly important component of New Jersey’s coastal economy, and the sector’s continued growth has created a rising demand for a well-prepared workforce. In response, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and Rutgers University’s Haskin Shellfish Research Laboratory have launched the Apprenticeship in Shellfish Aquaculture Program (ASAP), a comprehensive training initiative designed to strengthen the state’s aquaculture talent pipeline.
Following a successful pilot in 2022, ASAP was fully implemented in 2024 and 2025. To recruit participants, program coordinators visited 26 public high schools across five coastal counties, engaging approximately 1,506 students. During these visits, coordinators delivered an aquaculture literacy lesson and provided detailed information about the summer apprenticeship opportunity. Interest in the program far exceeded available positions, and 13 students were ultimately selected for the 2024 cohort and 14 for the 2025.
ASAP is a summer-long program for New Jersey high school students aged 16 and older. Through a blend of classroom instruction, hands-on skill development, and paid on-farm work experience, participants gain foundational knowledge of shellfish aquaculture, develop entry-level technical competencies, and explore the full farm-to-table production pathway. The program consists of four integrated components:
During the week-long “boot camp,” apprentices learned essential shellfish husbandry practices, as well as fundamentals of permitting, regulation, food safety, marketing, and business planning. They then began their eight-week, on-farm apprenticeship, working side-by-side with shellfish grower mentors. Host sites included oyster farms, clam farms, and an aquaculture research facility. All thirteen apprentices successfully completed the program, earned a “Shellfish Farming Practice Certificate,” and received a $3,600 stipend. Feedback from both apprentices and growers was overwhelmingly positive. Lessons learned from the 2024-25 cohorts are now guiding improvements for the 2026 program and beyond, positioning ASAP as a scalable model for youth workforce development in a growing coastal industry.