Ex-postie delivers at awards
A man who joined the aquaculture industry after working at the Royal Mail for 25 years has won the Jim Tait Prize for Aquaculture for best student, after completing a Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture at Level II at the NAFC Marine Centre annual awards in Shetland.
The prize was won by John Blance, who is employed by Grieg Seafood Shetland and was initially based at its Setterness marine site where he undertook most of his apprenticeship training. He has recently transferred to work in NAFC’s marine hatchery to rear lumpsuckers for the firm.
At the same prize-giving ceremony on Tuesday, Sam Spence, a farm worker and Modern Apprentice at Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, won the NAFC's Most Outstanding SVQ Aquaculture Level 3 Student Award.
Spence lives and works on Unst, Shetland, and was recruited to the industry by Cooke Aquaculture Scotland in 2013. He successfully completed SVQ Level 2 before achieving SVQ 3 where he has excelled in areas of practical skills and written theory.
The award was introduced by Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation (SSPO) Shetland last year to recognise the achievements of the centre’s students and to mark the role aquaculture plays in rural communities. There are 413 people working in salmon farming in Shetland alone.
NAFC aquaculture training section leader Stuart Fitzsimmons told fishfarmingexpert.com: “The standard of work done by all students studying both Level 2 and Level 3 has been excellent, so choosing an overall winner has been a difficult decision. However, both the winners were outstanding in both theoretical and practical ability, and have shown exceptional progression through their studies.”
David Sandison, general manager for SSPO Shetland, said: “The judges had tough decisions to make choosing between the enthusiastic students who are all producing very good quality work but Sam pipped his peers to the post on this occasion thanks to his excellent written work and exceptional practical skills. I’d personally like to congratulate Sam on a job well done.”
Colin Blair, managing director of Cooke Aquaculture Scotland, said: “We are delighted that Sam has been recognised and rewarded for his hard work in completing the programme. He is one of the 13 people on Modern Apprenticeships in Shetland. As a company, we strongly believe that providing our staff with key skills and formal qualifications is a head start for them in the field they want to work in and a fantastic way for us to attract enthusiastic talents with fresh ideas.”
