Increased Knowledge About European Aquaculture Erasmus Project

Project Title

Increased Knowledge About European Aquaculture

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships addressing more than one field

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2014

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Rural development and urbanisation; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

Context/Background
This project have aimed to bring together a partnership of three organisations involved in Aquaculture education, namely Val vgs in Norway, Bord Iascaigh Mhara in Ireland and Lycèe de la mer in France. These participants already had a history of cooperation and wanted to expand and capitalise on this cooperation. Aquaculture is developing rapidly worldwide with an ever increasing demand for seafood, through this programme we hoped to improve aquaculture education as a whole, whilst developing an improved workforce.

Objectives
The main objectives have been to define and experience best practice in each country with an emphasis on improved production techniques and the possibilities afforded by the introduction of new/novel species, improve educational techniques and standards, leading to a better educated workforce for the developing aquaculture industry

Profile of Participants
Val vgs is a upper secondary school located in Nærøy municipality in Mid-Norway and offers education inside the use of natural resources, aquaculture, agriculture and horse management.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) helps to develop the Irish Seafood Industry by providing technical expertise, business support, funding, training and promoting responsible environmental practice. BIM offers a 4-months competence course in aquaculture for adult learners.

Lycèe de la Mer are working in vocational fields which are centred on sea matters : cultures Marines (oysters and mussels), Aquaculture (Fish), but also Naval Maintenance, Shipbuildings, as well as plastics and composite processing industry and internal fittings of boats. Concerning the aquacultural part, the school trains approximately 60 pupils over 3 years supervised by a team of about fifteen teachers.

Description of Activities/Methodology
During this partnership students and teachers have traveled to the other participating countries to engage in study trips, workshops, exercises/work experience at the school facilities and on site industrial work experience.
The host countries have coordinated the trips to their own organisations and industry and the benefit to the participants have also included language and cultural elements.

Results/Impact
The study trips and collaborations have been informative not only for the participants but also the host countries and the EU through a series of detailed dissemination routes. Although the further education of the participants is the primary focus, this project have also lead to improvements in general education techniques through the process of sharing and joint development.

Potential Longer Term Benefits
The aquaculture industry will be able to develop more rapidly through more motivated and better educated workforce. By encouraging and facilitating a further sharing and collaboration about ideas and teaching methods this will help strengthen each student / worker and thus business when it comes to further development of the aquaculture industry.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 90180 Eur

Project Coordinator

Val videregående Skole AS & Country: NO

Project Partners

• BORD IASCAIGH MHARA
• lycée de la mer