Unlike previous initiatives, such as the Careers Day pictured in the image, the Sea2Me program is designed to offer experiential learning outside the classroom.
Photo: Salmon Scotland.
Later this April, a group of secondary school pupils from Plockton, a village in the Scottish Highlands, will be the first to take part in Sea2Me. Created by Developing the Young Workforce West Highland (DYW West Highland) in partnership with Salmon Scotland and Mowi Scotland, this educational program aims to identify the Scottish salmon farmers of the future.
Designed to show them first-hand how salmon is raised and how it helps feed the world from their doorstep, over several days, some 45 Plockton High School students will visit local businesses and operations where they will be informed about the variety of functions in salmon farming that are available now and will be available in the future.
The ultimate goal of the program and the organizers is to inspire them to look beyond the more visible roles and experience the value of the blue economy to the Highlands and to Scotland.
Inspired by DYW West Highland's Hill-to-Grill - another educational program for High School second-year pupils on important rural skills, teaching them tracking techniques to get up close to red deer, the UK’s largest land mammal - Sea2Me is also designed to offer experiential learning outside the classroom.
In the first part, the young will learn about the salmon lifecycle and the freshwater phase of farming, as well as visit seawater farms on Loch Duich and at Ardintoul. The pioneering program will offer them a behind-the-scenes look at the full supply chain, from egg to plate, while highlighting the wide range of roles in the sector, including farm technicians, fish health experts, and environmental managers.
The week will culminate in a 'Masterchef meets Dragons Den-style challenge', where students will have to create their own salmon-based dish with a marketing plan led by the Mowi Consumer Products UK (CPUK) New Product Development team.
Based in Rosyth, Scotland, Mowi CPUK is one of the UK's largest salmon processing plants. As mentioned above, the leading salmon farming company, along with trade body Salmon Scotland, are major partners with DYW West Highland in the development of Sea2Me. Also supporting the implementation of the program are Kishorn Port Ltd. and Lantra Scotland.
In short, students will interact with professionals from rural sector businesses, collaborate to present a final presentation, including a marketing brand and a dish based on an assignment, and explore all kinds of roles in fish farming, logistics, and product development, witnessing the magnitude of local businesses and developing their meta-skills.
"This illustrates the many roles involved in bringing quality nutrition from sea to table," said Jennifer Grant, program manager at DYW West Highland. "Ultimately, working with our partners and businesses locally, we seek to inspire young people about the wide range of opportunities within our coastal communities, encouraging them to pursue future careers locally, in Scotland, or beyond."
"The Sea2Me programme aims to showcase diverse career opportunities within the West Highlands' environment to students and their influencers," she added.
Sarah Ralston, HR manager at Mowi Scotland, said she is excited to see the creativity of the students and to try their recipes. "Mowi have a large presence on Skye and the surrounding areas and we are delighted to be asked to be part of this exciting new project," she stated.
"Sea2Me not only gives the students a better understanding of what career opportunities there are locally," Ralston continued. "In addition, as the title suggests, it also gives them the chance to see first-hand where their food comes from and the opportunity to create a salmon recipe, create a logo or brand, cook, taste and present to the judging panel."
For his part, Tavish Scott, CEO of Salmon Scotland, highlighted that Sea2Me will help identify salmon farmers of the future to explore career opportunities right on their doorstep. "The farm-raised Scottish salmon sector is responsible for creating thousands of high-paid, skilled local jobs in the Highlands and islands and right across the country," he added.
"Salmon farming companies are the beating heart of Scotland's coastal communities. In many places the salmon farm at the end of the road keeps shops and schools open, and helps to support the wider community," Scott continued. "There are dozens of different roles in salmon farming and we constantly need young people to join us to help us to meet growing demand for our world-leading product," he concluded.
This is not the first time Salmon Scotland and Mowi have collaborated with DYW West Highland to promote local employment in the Scottish salmon industry. They already did so last October, participating in a Careers Day at Lochaber High School, in search of the next generation of aquaculture talent.
In 2024, Scottish salmon exports broke a new record of GBP 844 million, with France, the USA, and China the top destinations from more than 50 countries. "Salmon is the jewel in the crown of Scotland's world-class produce," UK's Scotland Office Minister Kirsty McNeill said when the figure was released last February.
Salmon farming employs around 2,500 people in Scotland in over 100 different roles, with a further 10,000 jobs directly dependent on the industry. In Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, it contributes GBP 119 million to the local economy, directly employing 440 people and supporting a further 410 local businesses.
Moreover, the sector recruits at all levels, from school leavers to PhDs, with vacancies in roles such as hatchery technicians, skippers, logistics, farming assistants, engineers, veterinarians, environmental managers, and fish health experts. The average salary in the sector is GBP 36,000, which is above the Scottish national average.
