Aquaculture is in growing demand. And with it will come the need for more bodies in the workforce.
The world’s appetite for fish is showing no signs of slowing down. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Aquaculture’s role alongside wild fishing operations in providing food, nutrition, and employment to the world is significant and growing.
Consider this:
- Global consumption of fish hit a record high in 2018;
- Global consumption is set to rise in the decade ahead;
- Aquaculture production is projected to reach 109 million tonnes in 2030, an increase of 32 percent (26 million tonnes) over 2018;
- By 2030, Aquaculture will need to provide 66% of the world’s protein requirement;
According to a 2020 market report, the global Aquaculture market is a $285 billion industry. However, it’s projected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.8%, reaching a value as high as $378 billion by 2027.
Bottom line: Failure to build and nurture the next generation of workers for the industry threatens both food security and livelihoods.
The Problem: It’s hard to find applicants
Many organizations – and industries – are struggling to find interest and workers. And the problem is only getting worse. Why? One of the issues comes with a lack of awareness. The other with a lack of understanding.
Lack of Understanding
Aquaculture is still a niche industry in many geographical areas around the world. However, even in Aquaculture heavy regions, the understanding of the innovation, technology, skills, and the type of positions available in the industry is still quite foreign to many. Like other industries, there is a need for a collaborative effort to get messaging out regarding these topics to drive interest in students now to help grow future career interests.
Lack of Awareness
With so many messages fighting for our attention each day, getting the message out about the actual job openings is hard to do. And even if you do attract attention, simply having a “help wanted” message isn’t enough to keep the attention of the folks you’re after. You need to stand out to be effective.
For The Industry: A Workforce Strategy Is Needed For Aquaculture
Competition for employees won’t just be amongst Aquaculture companies. The industry will be in competition with other industries also struggling to attract workers. Especially those with engineering and bioscience skillsets.
With such significant growth forecasted for the industry, combined with an aging existing workforce, the need to recruit workers for Aquaculture as a whole will soon be significant. Companies won’t be able to do the work needed on their own. Raising the collective awareness of what Aquaculture is and increasing the understanding of the innovation and opportunities that exist in the industry will be needed. Students will need to see how their skills and interests translate to career opportunities.
The youngest generation in the workforce today places a much higher value on purpose, mission, and making a difference in their work than any other generation before it. Some studies show that applying skills in a way that contributes towards a solution of common good actually ranks higher than compensation when it comes to career considerations.
Growth in yield from wild fisheries is coming to a plateau. It’s clear that Aquaculture will be called upon to help feed the world. Aligning professional skills, such as math, engineering, and science, with the mission and value of the work will be a win for an industry on the verge of tremendous growth.
Regional Alliances Are Needed
While national and international industry efforts will add scale and impact, regional coalitions are needed to add relevance and context. Developing simplified messages related to the various methods, species, and technology will help increase public understanding of complicated concepts. Tying these messages to real-world operations will help increase relatability and help regional audiences better understand how Aquaculture applies to their life. The more the industry is understood, the easier it is to help potential employees see themselves working in it.
Communication Won’t Solve All Problems
To be successful, the effort must be more than a logo and press conference. Communication and increasing awareness are only part of the solution. Infrastructure plays a large role in the strategy. Educational programs, internships, events, and focused committees and subgroups made up of industry professionals are essential. So are developing quick and easy ways for interested folks to find those infrastructure programs.
Many efforts fail to produce desired results not because programs don’t exist, but because it’s hard for new prospects to find them and understand their relatable value. A centralized library or hub of industry resources, training programs, and industry events will serve the communications effort well.
Themes To Consider
In order for public communication efforts to be effective, there must be more than facts and figures shared. Getting interest from young students and professionals outside the industry will require a collaborative effort among industry partners and focus on key themes such as:
- Relatability – aligning innovations with everyday scenarios and problems
- Diversity – using photos and videos to show a wide range of ethnic and gender professionals in aquaculture
- Global reach – show examples of local and regional resources helping solve global issues
- Simplicity – keeping messaging simple and straightforward
- Opportunity – with the rise of RAS and land-based systems, along with global consolidation, the variety of geographical and technological options are vast
For The Company: Integrating Story And Culture Will Help Attract Qualified Applicants
Focusing year-round on sharing your story can help you better connect with quality applicants when the need arises. Use a variety of methods, such as video, documents, text on a website, photos, testimonials, and social media posts.
The best content is simply sharing who you really are and what you do already; the sincere nuggets that make up your normal day. Don’t stress about making content that doesn’t feel comfortable or real to you and your business. Don’t pretend to be something or someone you’re not. Pay attention to storylines that speak to the head, heart, and soul of the applicant you are seeking.
THE HEAD
This is the logical and literal component of your content efforts.
Keep in mind that not everyone knows what you do. Even your best customers often don’t know all you do. So you’ll want to create some content that is very straightforward to help applicants understand exactly what you do and who you do it for. Think of what you’d want an applicant to know about you.
Literal topics include: What do you make, sell, or do? How do you do it? What makes you different? What’s a normal day like? Be clear and obvious and use words and terms everyone can understand.
THE HEART
This is the feeling side of your content. You want to demonstrate how you treat people. How do you recognize and respect your employees? How you care for and help the needs of your clients? Focus on ways to demonstrate the culture you’ve created and how you execute it daily.
Flexibility in the workplace consistently ranks high on employee surveys as a top desire for potential employees. If you can speak to flexibility specifically, this will help.
Think about how a potential applicant may be dissatisfied with their current position and speak to how your company could help fill that void.
THE SOUL
This type of content relates to what you believe and how you execute those beliefs. This includes your company mission, vision, and values – along with causes you support and community activities you give to. Having a defined set of mission, vision, and values not only allows applicants to align their expectations with yours, but it provides you a foundation to measure your hiring decisions against.
Share how you created your values. Speak to how you choose what causes to get involved in.
Explain how your company is more than just a set of individual jobs.