The Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program: Phase II

Objectives

The overarching goal of the proposed project is to initiate Phase II of the Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program, a workforce development initiative aimed to recruit workers to the oyster aquaculture industry and provide them with training to meet industry demand. The goal will be accomplished through the following objectives:
 

1. Incorporate an application process to recruit oyster-related businesses at varying levels of success
2. Train an estimated 4 full-time and 6 part-time apprentices within the COAST Program, including formal class training
3. Provide networking opportunities for participating businesses and apprentices
4. Evaluate and improve upon the structure of the program.

Methodology

Objective 1: Incorporate an application process to recruit oyster-related businesses at varying levels of success. 
The COAST program was designed to be flexible for participating businesses, to allow them to determine the number of hours per week and training topics to focus the apprenticeship on the business’s specific needs. Therefore, the goal has been and will continue to be a program that caters to the needs of the industry. For Phase II, we plan to provide funds based on a semi-formal application process. As the participant will be required to provide half of the salary funds provided through this program for each apprentice, the level at which businesses can participate will vary. For example, some interested farms may be small and relatively new, and unable to provide funds for a full-time employee for a full year. Other interested farms may be more established and have a greater revenue stream and may prefer to invest in a full-time employee.

To provide opportunities for all interested parties, we will require a simple application that entails the participating business’s desired level of funding, including the number of apprentices, number of hours per week, length of the apprenticeship, and hourly wage. Using this information, we will distribute the federal funds to allow participation by as many businesses as is feasible, capturing a range of financial capabilities. It is our intention that this program will not be limited to large, established companies, but will provide expansion opportunities for smaller, newer businesses as well. 

Once participating businesses are identified, a contract will be entered into, where the business provides matching funds towards the COAST program. This will include a budget modification to this submitted proposal, increasing the stipend amounts per internship. 

A total of $97,067 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 $295,700 (including apprentice travel funds). Therefore, 67.9% of the total budget will be allocated directly to participating apprentices. Through this model, the industry mentor will only pay about 50% of the salary for an apprentice, providing incentive for businesses to participate in and provide their expertise to this program. In addition, the apprentice will receive competitive pay comparable to that available in the industry, anticipated at $20/hr.

Objective 2: Train an estimated 4 full-time and 6 part-time apprentices within the COAST Program, including formal class training. 
It is our goal to provide approximately 10 apprenticeships over the two years of COAST Phase II. This number may vary depending upon applications received from the industry. However, based on interest in Phase I and responses and conversations with farmers, we anticipate 4 full-time and 6 part-time apprentices. As previous participants have requested more formal training, we will incorporate the use of the Online Oyster Culture Course (https://oyster-culture.teachable.com/). This is a free, online, at-your-own-pace training course aimed at beginning oyster growers along the Gulf of Mexico coast. It was developed by individuals at Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, Louisiana Sea Grant, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Auburn University Shellfish Laboratory. This course includes videos, produced by experts in oyster aquaculture, instructing on topics from farm site selection to business planning. Online topics are often updated when new areas of interest arise. Apprentices will be required to complete the training, at approximately 8 hours of total content, prior to the completion of their apprenticeship. The training also provides a completion certificate which will demonstrate to future employers that they have completed the training, increasing their competitiveness in the job market.

Objective 3: Provide networking opportunities for participating businesses and apprentices. 
Funds from this program will be allocated to hosting a networking event for apprentices each year. The PIs will host one event in Alabama and one in Mississippi to increase accessibility. These events will have invited speakers meant to increase knowledge on oyster farming, allow apprentices to interact with one another and share their experiences, and provide a space for feedback on the program. It is our goal that this gathering will inspire apprentices to remain a part of the oyster aquaculture community.

Objective 4: Evaluate and improve upon the structure of the program.
As in Phase I, 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 apprentices. 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 apprentice. For apprentices, 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 allow the PIs to improve the program and workforce retention as well as recruit new apprentices 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 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.

To address these workforce needs, the Commercial Oyster Aquaculture Sector Training (COAST) Program was initiated in 2023, funded by the NOAA Sea Grant Aquaculture Supplemental Program. This program aimed to provide federal funds to help oyster-related businesses pay apprentices, providing discounted labor for the business and bringing more individuals into the oyster industry. This program garnered substantial interest, with 5 oyster farms participating in 2023 and 5 more participating in 2024. 

Initial and final knowledge assessments indicate that, from both the farmer and apprentice perspectives, the apprentices increased their knowledge of oyster farming skills, including spawning, seed maintenance, gear maintenance, and harvesting. To date, all participating farms have indicated that they would like to participate in a Phase II COAST program, should funds become available, and all responding apprentices plan to continue working in the oyster aquaculture industry. Year 1 participants commented:

• “This is a fantastic program that moved the needle for us. Being able to bring new people to the industry will pay all farms and other [vendors] benefits for years.”
• “…the COAST program…allows very hands on experiences and I have learned a lot from it.”

In addition to these positive comments, both farmers and apprentices indicated the desire for more formal training classes or programming, as well as more funds. In particular, the participants desired more funding to allow the apprentices to dedicate more time to the program, and fully invest in their future careers in oyster aquaculture.

The purpose of this proposal is to initiate Phase II of the COAST program, building on the previously established program and incorporating input from businesses and apprentices to improve the program. By continuing to support apprentice salaries and hands-on training, the industry will have active investment in the success of these individuals while benefiting from reduced labor costs (as per these funds) during training, resulting in a more qualified pool of workers.