August 05, 2008
Tuesday

Ketchikan, Alaska - The University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan announced that the Fisheries Technology degree program has been awarded $170,000 by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) grant for enhancing the Fisheries Technology program's curriculum, outreach to secondary schools, and aquatic farm education and research partnerships.

UAS Ketchikan Fisheries Technology Program will use the grant to further develop the program curricula through distance lab modules creation; offer training and applied research to the local shellfish and aquatic farm industries; increase high school student participation in fisheries sciences through an increase in experiential learning opportunities; and increase student recruitment, retention and educational equity through outreach and student financial aid assistance.

This grant will provide tuition assistance to eligible rural and Native Alaskan students admitted to the UAS Ketchikan Fisheries Technology program, depending on student enrollment and need. For more information regarding the program and tuition assistance, contact Fisheries Technology Program Coordinator Barbara Morgan at 907-228-4546.

UAS Ketchikan Fisheries Technology Program offers students one-year certificates and two-year associate of applied science degrees in fisheries technology. Students in the program work alongside fisheries professionals in hatcheries and fisheries management agencies during required internships. The program is designed to provide workforce training along with a solid science background in fisheries. The combination of educational course work and hands-on internships prepares students to work in fish hatcheries and governmental agencies including the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Forest Service. The degree program is available to anyone in the State of Alaska through distance delivery utilizing web-based tools and online classrooms.

Fisheries management personnel are in high demand. Over 50 percent of the current fisheries management workforce is expected to retire in the next 5-10 years with currently not enough replacement workers in the profession. Fisheries technicians often start full-time jobs after working part-time summer jobs with beginning salaries of $35,000 to $40,000 per year depending on education and experience. The UAS Ketchikan Fisheries Technology degree program was started by UAS after fisheries management agencies requested training and education programs that would encourage students to pursue fisheries as a profession as one way to address this critical workforce need.

The USDA provides grants to promote and strengthen Alaska Native-serving institutions and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions' ability to provide education and applied research as well as related community development programs within the field of food and agricultural sciences-related disciplines.

Source of News:

University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan
www.ketch.alaska.edu/

The University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan campus provides a wide variety of educational courses and programs to Ketchikan and the surrounding communities throughout the year. Courses and programs are available locally and distance, including web-based and audio-conference classes. Through these offerings, students can achieve certifications, associate, bachelor and master degrees. UAS is an AA/EO employer and educational institution.

 

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