Marine Institute bursary students inspire bright future for marine sector

The Bursary programme at the Marine Institute provides 3rd level students with the skills and experience to further develop their careers within the marine sector. Twenty-six students from diverse fields of studies are gaining work experience in a variety of jobs including fish and shellfish assessments and surveys, corporate communications, sampling salmon and commercial fisheries in ports, assessments of maritime economics and oceanographic buoy development.

Mr. Joe Silke, Marine Environment and Food Safety Manager at the Marine Institute, spoke about the quality of the bursars work during their eight week placements and the confidence Ireland can have in the future of the marine industry:

“The students have continued to demonstrate their understanding, and the overall context of the programmes within which they have worked. It is encouraging to see that we have a new cohort of highly motivated and engaged marine scientists coming through the third level system that will ensure Ireland retains its high reputation in marine science and technology into the coming decades”.

The value of the Marine Institute Bursary Programme, historically is significant to the marine science sector explained Ms. Helen McCormick, Senior Laboratory Analyst at the Marine Institute. “The bursary programme has been ongoing since the 1960’s and it gives students an opportunity to gain valuable experience within their chosen subject field. Previous bursars have gained various positions within the Marine Institute at all grades up to and including Director level.”