Seafood Employment And Training Platform – Pathways Content Creation
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$112,000.00
Summary
Through the online platform, potential and existing employees will understand and have access to employment opportunities, resources to help build their knowledge, skills, competencies and experience (capabilities), identify career progression, training and development opportunities.
The platform content will focus on creating a positive/realistic narrative by providing a balanced portrayal, telling the story of seafood as a sustainable, future focused industry with growth opportunities ....Through the online platform, potential and existing employees will understand and have access to employment opportunities, resources to help build their knowledge, skills, competencies and experience (capabilities), identify career progression, training and development opportunities.
The platform content will focus on creating a positive/realistic narrative by providing a balanced portrayal, telling the story of seafood as a sustainable, future focused industry with growth opportunities and varied career options for all skill levels. Enabling an eye-opening experience, users will respond positively to being exposed to the breadth and depth of the seafood industry. Showcasing the variety of roles, sustainable solutions, low barriers to entry as well as transferability of skills will help paint the picture of a varied and inclusive industry where all are welcome.
This project aims to utilise existing and generate new content, as identified in project research to enable a successful platform launch. Objectives: 1. Work through the collateral database assessment to prioritise and address gaps 2. Map industry career pathways, role type, skills, qualifications and courses for platform launch 3. Generate new and re-purpose existing content/collateral for platform use 4. Provide expertise to inform career tool development (post platform launch) 5. Support FRDC and SIA to engage and support stakeholders in the project Read moreRead less
People Development Program: Australian Agricultural Industries Young Innovators And Scientists Awards
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$261,024.34
Summary
This project addresses the need to encourage and support early career researchers and innovation, as identified in the FRDC people development strategy Objectives: 1. To award one scholarship annually
Developing Skills And Capabilities Of Middle-management And Supervisory Staff On Australian Prawn Farms (pilot Program)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$97,600.00
Summary
A leadership skill gap within the prawn farming industry has been identified at the middle-management and supervisory staff level, specifically regarding the ability to effectively manage a team, build successful workplace culture and work effectively with generational differences. Attaining and retaining staff is a challenge for industry and this challenge is expected to become greater as the industry grows. The development of a positive workplace culture to improve job satisfaction will be imp ....A leadership skill gap within the prawn farming industry has been identified at the middle-management and supervisory staff level, specifically regarding the ability to effectively manage a team, build successful workplace culture and work effectively with generational differences. Attaining and retaining staff is a challenge for industry and this challenge is expected to become greater as the industry grows. The development of a positive workplace culture to improve job satisfaction will be important to attract and retain staff into the future. Another issue that this industry faces as it grows is the progression of younger generations into leadership roles that require the supervision of older employees and visa versa where older generations are working longer. This brings a need for supervisory and middle management staff to understand how to work effectively with different generations in the workforce. In response to these industry needs, the APFA has engaged Affectus, a company who focuses on delivering leadership development programs and workshops. Affectus proposes to manage and facilitate a pilot training program for staff of APFA member businesses to address the earlier described leadership skill gaps. This program will host a maximum of 20 people and will include a 2-day training workshop,1-day technical industry workshop, industry networking dinner, online coaching session and a half day online follow-up workshop. The pilot program aims to prepare participants to have a positive impact on the workplace through increased understanding of self, workplace culture, generational differences, communication and conflict resolution. This project addresses a key R&D priority of the FRDC and APFA 2020-2025 Strategic Plans, namely ‘Capability and Capacity’ and ‘Human Capital and Emerging Technologies’, respectively. Objectives: 1. Support staff of APFA members to participate in the skill development pilot program. 2. For the pilot program participants to achieve a greater understanding of self. 3. For the pilot program participants to understand how to build a successful workplace culture and to apply this understanding to their workplaces. 4. For the pilot program participants to achieve a greater understanding of how different generations respond in the workplace to further their capacity to effectively work with these differences. 5. For the program participants to develop an ‘Individual Workplace Improvement Plan’ and successfully implement it into their workplaces. 6. For the pilot program participants to obtain a greater understanding of conflict resolution, including conflict management, delegation and rewarding. 7. For the pilot program participants to learn the basics of effective and efficient communication. 8. For the pilot program participants to learn how to work effectively with teams. 9. For the pilot program participants to learn how to get the most out of team meetings. 10. For the pilot program participants to have the opportunity to engage with industry leaders and build their professional networks. 11. To provide the pilot program participants with learning materials to take back to their respective workplaces. 12. Provide an online forum for participants for ongoing engagement and support and an electronic library of resources and materials. Read moreRead less
Capability And Capacity Building - Scientific Networking & Early Career Development (Australian Society For Fish Biology)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$115,050.00
Summary
We submit this EOI as a non-competitive sponsorship application.
The ASFB is the premiere professional Society promoting research, education and management of fish and fisheries in Australasia. Our capacity to facilitate these goals is dependent on the amount of financial support generated from ASFB members (via membership fees), conference sponsorship (from Government and industry stakeholders), and the FRDC.
We request a new round of funding support from the FRDC to allow us ....We submit this EOI as a non-competitive sponsorship application.
The ASFB is the premiere professional Society promoting research, education and management of fish and fisheries in Australasia. Our capacity to facilitate these goals is dependent on the amount of financial support generated from ASFB members (via membership fees), conference sponsorship (from Government and industry stakeholders), and the FRDC.
We request a new round of funding support from the FRDC to allow us to continue delivering our annual conference and supporting students and early career researchers (ECRs) at a high level. We also request support from FRDC to help facilitate the following: i) real advancement in our Society’s engagement with, and inclusion of, First Nations peoples; ii) recognition and promotion of the value of the core principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in the fish and fisheries sector; iii) better engagement of fisheries managers with scientists; and iv) closer ties with our neighbouring Asian Fisheries Society.
Students and early career researchers represent the future of Australasia’s fish and fisheries sector. ASFB has a long and successful history of promoting and supporting student and ECR members as they undertake their research training, showcase their discoveries and ideas, and begin a career working with fish and fisheries. For the last 10 years, FRDC has been an invaluable partner in this endeavour through the provision of travel bursaries that enable students to attend our annual conference and awards that recognise outstanding achievements. We request FRDC funding to continue supporting our students and ECRs.
ASFB has been making steady progress in ensuring our Society actively supports and facilitates an equitable and inclusive environment that promotes the value of diversity. In 2014, our 40th annual conference (held in partnership with the Australian Society for Limnology; FRDC 2013-404) was built around the theme of ‘Indigenous participation in research and management of aquatic ecosystems’. We facilitated a workshop on Indigenous cross cultural awareness, and throughout the meeting, delegates had the opportunity to explore ways of meaningfully including indigenous peoples in the design, delivery and interpretation of scientific work. Ten years on, we believe there is still a clear need for ASFB to better engage with and include First Nations peoples in our Society. We seek financial support from FRDC to form an independent working group that includes strong indigenous representation, alongside ASFB representatives, to advise our Society on how we can enact meaningful actions that help achieve these goals. Whilst we do not seek to pre-empt the working groups recommendations, we see great opportunity for ASFB to promote the primacy of Indigenous Peoples around water and fisheries rights, facilitate the inclusion of cultural practices and knowledge into western science and management paradigms, and to build capacity of Indigenous Peoples in the sectors of fish, fisheries and aquatic natural resources.
Our Future of the Society Committee is currently drafting a policy document that promotes the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in ASFB. At our 2016 conference, we held an important event titled ‘Women in Ichthyology’. This was borne from the acknowledgement that, while in recent decades we have made great strides in achieving higher representation of women in research, the job is far from done. Women are often equally represented at lower tiers of the research sector, such as postgraduate students and early career levels, but rapidly dwindle as the professional hierarchy increases to senior leadership roles. The 2016 event celebrated the key contributions of women to fish and fisheries science, and explored how we can all encourage gender equity in this area. We have seen a steady increase in the representation of women in senior roles in our Society (e.g., three of our last six presidents since 2012 are women; three of the last six winners of the prestigious K. Radway Allen Award were women). We believe that more can and will be done to address gender equity in our Society.
The ASFB endeavours to be free from all forms of discrimination, and welcomes all members regardless of age, cultural background, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, physical or mental differences, politics, nationality, religious affiliation or beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family or caring responsibilities, socio-economic background, career status, and work experience. The ASFB aims to continue to foster an inclusive environment where a diversity of people, ideas and perspectives can inspire members to advance fish and fisheries science and management. We seek FRDC support to host a plenary presentation and/or special session on the equity, diversity and inclusivity challenges and opportunities we face in the fish and fisheries sector at the 2024 annual science conference in Newcastle, NSW.
The annual conferences of ASFB provide a fantastic opportunity for fisheries managers from around Australia and New Zealand to meet up and experience networking opportunities with their peers and fisheries researchers. Our conferences provide a forum for managers to hear about the challenges faced in other jurisdictions and work together to develop solutions and innovations. Feedback from our members who are fisheries managers is that it is difficult for them to attend our conferences due to low levels of support from their employers for travel and registration costs, which is a poor outcome for fisheries managers. In turn, our broader membership suffers because they miss the opportunity to engage with managers in an environment conducive to knowledge sharing and collaboration. Furthermore, our students and early career researchers are not exposed to employment opportunities in a valuable sector of our industry. Here, we propose a new travel bursary program, co-funded by FRDC, ASFB and employers, to address the major financial barrier limiting manager engagement with our Society’s activities.
Lastly, we need a vibrant and viable Society to deliver on our project objectives. ASFB is now 53 years old. Throughout this time, the Society has successfully served its membership, and by extension, the broader fish and fisheries community in Australia. Our executive council and sub-committee members are all volunteers and collectively dedicate thousands of hours in-kind each year to ensure we provide effective leadership and deliver on our responsibilities (conservatively valued at $100,000 pa of salary). More recently, we have sought professional support to administer membership databases, facilitate conference logistics (they work for local volunteer organising committees), handle internal and external communications and maintain our website. These are all essential roles and beyond what can be expected from our volunteer office bearers. We are reviewing our current membership fee schedule to help cover some of these costs. We seek FRDC support to contribute to the management and facilitation activities of our Society so that we can continue to deliver excellent opportunities for all our members and successfully deliver on the important objectives outlined in this proposal.
Objectives: 1. Provide a nationally and international relevant forum for researchers, managers and stakeholders to meet to discuss issues relevant to fish and fisheries science and management 2. Support, encourage and recognise achievements of early career researchers and students via sponsorship of targeted excellence and research awards 3. Support and encourage student participation at ASFB's annual science conference and key international conferences via sponsorship of travel bursaries, a specific networking event, and any other appropriate activities 4. Assist in setting up an independent working group with First Nations representation to help ASFB improve how we include and engage with First Nations peoples in our Society 5. Develop a co-funded bursary (alongside ASFB and home institutions) to support the attendance of fisheries managers at ASFB’s annual conference 6. Host a special session and/or plenary at a future conference addressing the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in fish and fisheries Read moreRead less
Women At World Aquaculture 2023 - Bursaries (WISA)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$18,000.00
Summary
1. WISA have been invited by the WAC organisers to run the Women in Aquaculture session at the conference titled: "How can the Aquaculture Industry attract and retain women?" Previous World Aquaculture Conferences have outlined the benefits from having greater inclusivity of women and other under-represented groups in the industry. In this think-tank session, we look deeper into the barriers women face to participate and reach their full potential in aquaculture, and towards solutions – what ....1. WISA have been invited by the WAC organisers to run the Women in Aquaculture session at the conference titled: "How can the Aquaculture Industry attract and retain women?" Previous World Aquaculture Conferences have outlined the benefits from having greater inclusivity of women and other under-represented groups in the industry. In this think-tank session, we look deeper into the barriers women face to participate and reach their full potential in aquaculture, and towards solutions – what can individuals, small and large businesses and organisations do to attract and retain women in aquaculture? Participants will first hear from Women in Seafood Australasia (WISA) and an international representative (e.g. FAO) who will give overviews of the challenges and opportunities for women in aquaculture from a developed and developing country perspective. This will be followed by presentations from 3-4 speakers who will tell their stories from the ground - the actions they have taken as aquaculture businesses and the lessons they have learned in their journey towards gender equity. The presentation will then form the basis of an engaging and facilitated discussion between a panel of aquaculture leaders and the audience. We will discuss the deeper tensions for businesses and organisations to make change, opportunities for increasing the attractiveness of the aquaculture industry to women and other under-represented groups entering and thriving in the industry, and actionable solutions for the aquaculture industry in different environments in both the short and long term.
2. The Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR) have recently granted WISA $40,000 to run our highly successful bursary program for international and Australian women. WISA’s approach is to provide an experience for women who would not normally have the means to attend a conference or event, but who would benefit enormously from the opportunity to network and develop through attending. WISA provide an immersive and supported experience for bursary holders. WISA have found that women who have experienced conference bursaries through our organisation are now highly engaged in our network, they have broadened their networks significantly, made long-lasting industry friends, and are inspired and feel confident to take on further opportunities in the seafood industry. The approach that WISA takes to bursaries requires WISA personnel to attend the conference and be available throughout the conference to provide support, introductions, and friendship to bursary holders. The ACIAR bursary holders will also be involved in WISA activities at the conference (1 & 3) and in addition to supporting them before during and after the conference, we will be hosting a welcome drinks, a bursary dinner and a wrap up breakfast.
3. Breaking the Barriers workshop Although currently still in negotiation, the Northern Territory Government has available space for WISA to run their Breaking the Barriers workshop, first run at Seafood Directions in 2022, and funded by FRDC (2018-174). The purpose of the workshop, facilitated in partnership with Affectus, is to surface current issues that impact women in the aquaculture industry and community; facilitate open and inclusive discussion about issues that impact women in the aquaculture industry and community; problem-solve/solution-find current issues that impact women in the aquaculture industry and community; and for each participant to have the opportunity to develop an individual host/facilitate/chair template for open and inclusive discussion. The outcomes of the workshop will be a list of current issues impacting the women in the aquaculture industry and community; a solutions paper for stakeholder organisations to consider and take action on; and a deeper understanding of current issues that impact women in the aquaculture industry and community and an advocacy plan for wider industry to action. This workshop will be funded through WISA's 'Turn the Tide' project.
Objectives: 1. Enable WISA's participation and attendance at WAC 2023 2. Explore options to attract and retain women in Australian aquaculture 3. Enable WISA to have a direct impact on Australian and International women Read moreRead less