Shetland pupils weigh up a future in fish farming

Secondary school pupils in Shetland learned more about the jobs on offer in aquaculture at a careers event held at the Clickimin Leisure Complex in Lerwick yesterday.

More than 130 pupils in their second year at Anderson High School attended the event, which was organised by trade body Salmon Scotland and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Shetland.

Salmon farmers Cooke Scotland and Scottish Sea Farms took part, alongside aquaculture technology supplier ScaleAQ, underwater robotics company MoROV, Underwater Contracting, Fish for Health, and other companies, as well as Skills Development Scotland.

Small groups of pupils moved around 18 stands from different aquaculture companies, taking part in games and skills tests, speaking to workers, and learning about different career paths on offer.

If the cap fits…

Cooke gave pupils the chance to don personal protective equipment and weigh salmon to make up hypothetical customer orders, and also ran a game to match tasks to job roles.

Underwater Contracting let pupils operate an underwater robot using its mechanical grabber, while MoROV showed how underwater robots are assembled.

ScaleAQ challenged pupils to guess the weight of equipment used on salmon farms, and Biomar ran a nutrient match challenge to pair key nutrients with their functions within the fish.

Boat stability

Shetland-based engineering and fabrication contractor Malakoff provided a boat stability demonstration, while Scottish Sea Farms and training organisation Lantra ran a wild salmon survival rates game.

Fish for Health explored the nutritional benefits of salmon and offered tastings, and Salmon Scotland challenged pupils to a memory match game which explored various job titles and what they do, illustrating the careers available across the sector.

The Shetland careers day formed part of Salmon Scotland’s wider careers programme, which has already held similar events in other salmon farming regions across Scotland.

Shows relevance of learning

Robin Calder, head teacher at Anderson High School, said: “Walking around, you get the sense of how engaged the young people are. They’re learning about different careers, they’re engaging in different types of learning activities, it’s very, very interactive and they’re really enjoying it.

“It gives them an insight into the world of work and what’s available to them. It helps motivate them, inspire them, and it shows the relevance of what they’re also doing in school with science subjects and with engineering.”

Emma Chittick, DYW Shetland project lead, said: “It’s been brilliant to be able to work collaboratively with them. They have access to much wider networks than we do, so we’re really lucky to have employers that we wouldn't normally have access to.

“Pupils have been really engaged and enjoyed the activities on offer.”

Salmon Scotland chief executive Tavish Scott, who is from Shetland, said salmon farming supports around 1,000 jobs across the archipelago and contributes £90 million a year to the local economy.

“There are well-paid roles in everything from fish health and engineering to technology, logistics, and the environment,” said Scott.

“Giving pupils the chance to get hands-on, ask questions, and meet people working in the sector helps bring those jobs to life. We hope some of the young people who took part will see a future for themselves in salmon farming and become part of the next generation working in Shetland.”