Diving into Aquaculture

10th July 2006

Diving into Aquaculture

Graduates in Diving and Aquaculture, including the new National Certificate in Aquaculture (Diving) Level 4, will be celebrated at the inaugural New Zealand King Salmon Aquaculture Diving Graduation Ceremony in Picton this Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Tertiary Education, the Hon Dr Michael Cullen, will attend the ceremony, which will celebrate graduates' success in National Certificates and New Zealand King Salmon's commitment to training.

"We are very proud of our graduates' achievements. Industry training has been fundamental for broadening our employee's skill base in particular with this new initiative for diving standards where safety is absolutely paramount. It's great to be able to celebrate that.

"We place great value on our trainees' accomplishments and to see their efforts recognised is very rewarding," says Paul Steere, Chief Executive of New Zealand King Salmon.

The Seafood Industry Training Organisation (SITO) has worked closely with New Zealand King Salmon in facilitating seafood industry training within the company and in the development of the new qualification, which recognises risk management for divers working on aquaculture farms, and is specifically designed for New Zealand practices and conditions.

"The graduation is significant for graduates and the aquaculture industry as a whole. There has been huge development in the sector and this graduation demonstrates that.

"This represents the collaborative work between SITO and industry, defining industry best practices which are endorsed by OSH, and designing qualifications by industry for industry," says Elaine Taylor, Aquaculture Sector Manager of SITO.

"Industry training supports companies to build the capability of their business, and to recognise individual's achievements and expertise. This means improvement in long term productivity, growth and employee job satisfaction. It's a win-win for the company, trainee and the industry."

Graduates will be presented with their National Certificate's by the Deputy Prime Minister at the ceremony, which takes place from 9.30-10.30am on 12 July at the 'Coathanger Area' at Picton Marina.

ENDS

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