North-Island College – a British Columbia-based institution – has announced a new $1.2 million programme for the development of a seaweed industry workforce.
“This seaweed industry pilot is a forward-thinking approach to skills training and economic development, focussed on preparing our communities for the future," said Lisa Beare, minister of post-secondary education and future skills, according to the North Island Gazette.
"By providing training in a new and emerging industry, we are helping residents access new job opportunities and are fostering economic resiliency to build a stronger B.C.," Beare added.
Through the pilot programme the college aims to train up to 80 students in all disciplines necessary for a future in the seaweed farming industry, from sustainable cultivation to experimental processing methods and marketing.
“There are lots of other opportunities today that we may not even know about today, and a real-life example is in this lab where we can research things like [the extraction of] colour dyes out of seaweed that could be used in the fabric industry [or opportunities for] bio-packaging," said Mark Smith, executive director of the Pacific Seaweed Industry Association.
Registration for the course is set to open in October 2024, with the programme itself beginning in 2025.
