Inverness College: Innovations in Aquaculture Training.

This paper describes the aquaculture program developed at Inverness College in Scotland. Inverness is located in the Scottish Highlands and serves an area roughly the size of Belgium, but with a population of only 300,000. The regional infrastructure and human capital resources in the Highlands are relatively weak due to inadequate transportation, seasonal employment markets, high unemployment, and relatively low workforce skills. The region relies heavily on the service and tourism industries. No place in the Scottish Highlands is more than 50 miles from the sea, and fish farming and aquaculture have traditionally supplied a large percentage of the economic base. Though in decline, these sectors are still important in remote and rural highland areas. Inverness College has expanded its Aquaculture Program (in the Environmental and Natural Sciences departments) to include a distance learning program that serves these rural communities. The budget for the program is 96,000 British pounds (U.S. $139,000), and in 2000 it served 23 participants, with 15 more being recruited. The average age of students is 19, but demand by older workers is increasing. All participants have been male. Inverness College has identified a potential market for the course throughout Europe and elsewhere. The College is ready to embark on further developments using both CD-ROM and the Internet. (NB)