Aquaculture Skills Shortage Highlighted

A skills inventory and needs analysis for the South African aquaculture sector has revealed an urgent need for both generic skills – from functional literacy to business management – and aquaculture-specific technical skills to better equip workers and farmers in taking the industry forward.

The study, which was commissioned through the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) Operation Phakisa’s skills working group for aquaculture, is part of a strategy to develop a workable skills framework for the sector.

The study aimed to set a baseline of current skills levels in order to measure the impact of training interventions, to identify the scarce and critical skills needed in the sector, and to guide planning for skills development to support current and future demand, including development of new qualifications.