“Come and join us” – Scottish aquaculture to urge local youngsters

The Scottish salmon industry will next week reach out to local youngsters urging them to consider a career in the sector.

More than 650 pupils from Lochaber will have the opportunity to learn more about the huge range of local jobs in the Scottish salmon sector and ensure the sector can develop the next generation of talent.

The careers event at Lochaber High School on Wednesday, October 2, will offer pupils from secondary schools in the area the opportunity to meet with people working in aquaculture, find out more about farm-raised salmon, and discover the career options open to them.

The day is part of an on-going series of careers events to raise awareness of employment opportunities within the growing Scottish salmon sector.

Salmon farming contributes £119 million to the local economy of Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, directly employing over 500 people and supporting more than 410 local businesses.

Salmon Scotland’s member companies will be attending other career fairs and organising sector specific school visits.

They will be highlighting the wide range of well-paid and highly skilled job opportunities in the sector, from technicians to farm assistants, from skippers to processors, and from fish husbandry to business support roles like finance and IT.

Local employers Bakkafrost Scotland, Scottish Sea Farms, AKVA and Gael Force are among the companies at next Wednesday’s careers event, which has been organised by Salmon Scotland, Mowi Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce West Highland.

The Mowi Scotland salmon wagon will also be in attendance and pupils will be able to sample their signature Scottish salmon fillet in a bun or Scottish salmon noodle salad.

A tanker from local logistics company Ferguson Transport will also be in attendance.

Other interactive activities on the day include VR goggles that allow people to virtually visit a salmon farm, and an interactive game ‘I am MOWI’ which takes a student through their interests and concludes with a suggested career path in aquaculture.

Tavish Scott, chief executive of Salmon Scotland, said: “The farm-raised Scottish salmon sector is responsible for creating thousands of high-paid, skilled local jobs in the Highlands and islands and right across the country.

“We want to help the next generation of young people in our farming regions with their futures and talk to them about rewarding careers in salmon farming.

“Our member companies are at the heart of Scotland’s coastal communities. In many places the salmon farm at the end of the road keeps shops and schools open, and helps to support the wider community.

“There are a huge number of different roles in aquaculture and we need young people, especially women, to join us in looking after our world-leading salmon as we feed not only Scotland but the wider world.”

Jayne Mackay, community engagement officer at Mowi Scotland, added: “We are looking forward to spending time with students at Lochaber High School.

“There are so many varied career opportunities within aquaculture, whatever your interests, and it is always a pleasure to spend time with young people and introduce them to jobs they might never have considered.”

As one of the largest employers in Lochaber, it is important that young people understand that they can stay in the area and have a long-term future career, which could also take them all over the world, given the scale of Mowi as the world’s largest aquaculture company.”

Jennifer Grant, programme manager at DYW West Highland, said: “From expressing our desire to host this event, through the design and development stages this event has taken shape in a really exciting way.

“The commitment and enthusiasm from industry has been inspiring, and the delivery of the event is creating a buzz and understanding around the potential for future careers in the blue economy for pupils from five high schools locally.”