Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program

Objectives

1. Utilize needs assessment tools to focus Program development on sectors with the greatest demand. 
2. Train a minimum of 10 interns within the COAST Program.
3. Evaluate and improve upon the structure of the Program.

Methodology

During the beginning stages of this Program, PIs will develop a questionnaire that will be sent to farmers, processors, restaurants, and other stakeholders. Questions will pertain to the need and availability of qualified workers in various aspects of oyster farming (oyster production and rearing, business management, food safety, serving, etc.). The questionnaire will also gauge interest in participating in the internship Program. These results may include or be based upon an oyster farming resiliency index currently undergoing development. Results from the needs assessment will determine what sectors of the industry are most in need of workforce development, guide selection of participating businesses, and determine the duration and structure of the COAST Program. Based on PI and co-PI experience, we anticipate identification of needs in hatchery, nursery and farm (seed, sorting/splitting, harvesting). However, there may also be interest in training in business management, seafood processing, and oyster preparation and serving for the restaurant industry.  

Upon completion of the needs assessment, the PIs will work with stakeholders and MS/AL Sea Grant to develop a workforce training protocol that includes the sectors identified in Objective 1. 

For example, if the assessment identifies all aspects of oyster farming as driving needs, as is anticipated by PI experiences, we will identify participants that provide hatchery, nursery, and farming services. These will likely include multiple entities, as few oyster farms have the capacity to provide all three stages of this process. Development of the Program will include identification and contracts with participating business entities, scheduling timelines and/or employment schedules, and recruitment of interns. Recruitment efforts will use social media and appropriate online job boards.   

Once participating businesses are identified, a contract will be entered where the business provides matching funds towards the internship Program. This will include a budget modification to the submitted one, increasing the stipend amounts per internship. A total of $45,194 in matching funds from the industry will be added to the stipends, increasing the total amount of funds that go directly to the interns to over $105,000 (including travel funds) of the total Program costs. Therefore, 62.5 of the total budget will be allocated directly to participating interns.

Through this model, the industry mentor will only pay about 50 of the pay for a full-time employee, providing incentive for businesses to participate in and provide their expertise to this Program. In addition, the intern will receive competitive pay comparable to that available in the industry, anticipated at at least $17/hr.  

It is our goal to provide a minimum of 10 internships over the two years of this Program. This number may vary depending upon results of the needs assessment, the determined duration of internships, rotational schedules, and the quality/quantity of applicants. We envision a rotating internship Program, where selected interns spend a portion of their Program in each of the sectors identified via the needs assessment. The Program will be timed to allow for the interns to participate in all aspects of oyster farming, from spawning to harvest. These rotations may also include stints at seafood processors/distributors and restaurants, as these sectors are vital for oyster farming success. Internships at these businesses will develop industry-focused skills, resulting in trained individuals that can enter the workforce in identified oyster sectors.  

Funding for this Program will be used to send interns to the Oyster South Symposium. Oyster South is a non-profit that brings together resources and promotes oyster farming in the southern United States. Their annual symposium is a unique meeting that brings together producers, chefs, distributors, researchers, gear suppliers, and more to discuss current relevant issues to oyster aquaculture. This event is about increasing knowledge on oyster farming but is also a wonderful networking opportunity for industry members. It is our goal that providing the ability to attend this meeting to the interns will allow them to meet other employers in the industry, learn about the many career opportunities, and be inspired to remain a part of the oyster aquaculture community. It is our goal for interns to be pursued by employers following completion of the Program to increase the oyster aquaculture workforce in Mississippi and Alabama.  

During the first year of the internship Program, PIs will develop evaluation tools to assess the successes and areas for improvement of the COAST Program. Separate evaluations will be developed for the participating businesses and for the interns. For businesses, we will determine if they benefitted from the Program, if they would like to continue to participate should further funding be received, and if they would or intend to hire a participating intern. For interns, we would use a pre- and post- questionnaire using questions applicable to sectors in which they train to assess their increase in knowledge. We will also ask if they would recommend the Program to others and if they plan on staying in the oyster and/or seafood industry upon completion of the Program.

The evaluation responses will aid us to make changes after each round of internships to continue to improve the Program and workforce retention as well as recruit new interns and mentoring businesses. The goal is to have a continually evolving program based on results from previous years. With these data, we will pursue further funding to continue and expand the COAST Program.

Rationale

The oyster aquaculture industry includes hatchery, nursery, and farm rearing to market, but also relies upon seafood processors and restaurants to generate a product from farm to plate. The seafood industry has been at the heart of working waterfront communities of Alabama and Mississippi for 100s of years. Over the centuries the seafood industry has experienced multiple disasters—including storms, recessions, oil spills, and more—that have negatively impacted the environment, the economies, and the people living in these communities. In recent decades, the frequency of these disasters has increased resulting in compounded negative effects that have delayed recovery. This includes the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to business disruptions similar to tropical storms, the Great Recession of 2008, and the 2010 oil spill. Bolstering the seafood industry workforce is one way to enable seafood businesses to be more resilient to these natural disasters and improve the recovery and dependability of the industry by teaching people how to mitigate the negative impacts of these events.  During previous needs assessments and direct communication with stakeholders of the oyster aquaculture industry, availability of qualified labor is consistently identified as a major priority. To that end, we will develop a Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program that will recruit eager individuals into the oyster aquaculture industry, match them with industry members who will provide training to the interns, and increase the workforce for this vital local industry. By providing a portion of the intern stipend and hands-on training, the industry will have active investment in the success of these individuals while benefitting from reduced labor costs (as per these funds) during training, resulting in a more qualified pool of workers.