HARVEST Internship Program
Partnering With Florida's Aquaculture Industry To Train The Next Generation of Workforce
In support of a growing Blue Economy, Florida Sea Grant launched its HARVEST student internship program to foster the development of a burgeoning aquaculture industry and provide valuable real-world experience to students interested in aquaculture.
HARVEST, Helping Aquaculture Reap Value and Enhance Student Training, is an internship program that offers university students paid part-time internships (up to 20 hours per week) with partnering aquaculture businesses in Florida. Students are provided with valuable workforce development skills to solve ‘real-world’ problems that impede the productivity of aquaculture businesses.
During their internship, students aid in a variety of needs denoted by the aquaculture business such as efforts to increase survivability, productivity, efficiency, sustainability, public outreach, and education.
The duties of each internship include but are not limited to:
- On the farm/hatchery work (animal husbandry, harvesting, processing, culling, data collection)
- Outreach, communications and marketing
- Equipment maintenance and engineering
- Development/expansion of new culture methods
- Research project assistance
Program Structure
Florida Sea Grant supports up five student-business internships per year. Florida Sea Grant extension agents and faculty partner with aquaculture business to co-mentor the HARVEST intern during their 2-9 month internship experience. Each HARVEST internship’s duties and projects are based on the needs of the aquaculture business partner.What partners Are saying
Students Meet Industry
HARVEST
In Action
To date, twelve internships have been funded, integrating interns into a variety of aspects of each aquaculture business. HARVEST internship experiences have led to direct expansion of the aquaculture business and have influenced students’ career choices.
Florida Atlantic University
Treasure Coast Shellfish
Florida State University
Ocean Era
Florida Institute of Technology
Indian River Oyster Co.
University of Florida
Clamtastic Seafood
University of West Florida
Grayson Bay Oyster Co.
University of Miami
Two Docks Shellfish
University of South Florida
Lost Coast Oyster Co.
Applications closed
Stay tuned for an announcement of the latest cohort of HARVEST interns.
While my internship is wrapping up, my work on offshore aquaculture will likely continue, thanks in large part to the wonderful experience I had during this internship learning about and contributing to our understanding of offshore aquaculture in the United States.
