Capability & Capacity: advancing education & career pathways through collaboration (inc. National Food & Fibre Education Strategy)
Create a matrix of skills and capability building priorities across FRDC partners and advisory groups
The fisheries industry has advisories boards operating independently across regions (eight State based RACs) and industry specific (11 IPA’s). The fishing and aquaculture commodity groups and regions will benefit from a shared understanding of the skills capabilities and needs which may not be apparent to individual groups who do not have the across-industry view. A shared understanding will enable the industry to adopt an informed decision making process when deciding priorities and allocating resources for addressing whole of industry workforce development needs.
Final report
identify gaps in services that need to be addressed. Fodd and Agribusiness Solutions appointed Ross Ord as the PI on the project. The project commenced early September 2016 with a final report due 28 October
2016.
- Desktop research: Examine the extension and adoption plans of the 11 industry partner bodies and the eight Research Advisory Committees. Review recent studies and reports. Document key capability building themes.
- Data gathering: Develop, pilot and distribute (via FRDC) an on-line survey, with survey questions approved by FRDC. Undertake initial review of results to identify trends and issues. Use this to determine the focus of follow- up stakeholder engagement, including discussions with industry representatives by telephone interviews.
- Industry forums: Attend the FRDC Stakeholder Annual Planning Workshop in Adelaide 26-27 October 2016. Present initial findings from the data gathering activities and seek feedback and comments from Workshop participants.
- Analysis: Collate and analyse all qualitative and quantitative data. Identify key themes and areas of commonality.
- Framework, mapping: Complete a desktop review of existing course offerings that relate to the priorities identified through the research. Examine any data available about course satisfaction. Design and populate the framework/matrix to ensure a consistent platform for reporting and examining input from groups. Map existing courses and programs to identified gaps and common elements.
- Final Report: To include a key set of insights and recommendations for use by RACs and IPAs in guiding skills and training priorities.
Australian Fisheries and Aquaculture Statistics 2018
National Snapper Workshop - Rebuilding our iconic Snapper stocks
Capability and Capacity: Understanding diverse learning approaches and knowledge transfer opportunities to inform and enable change
FRDC recently co-funded a cross-commodity project on Designing the integration of extension into research project (James, 2022), which sought to improve adoption of outcomes from RD&E project. At the conclusion of this report, recommendations for Phase 2 were made, and these included several focused on developing and trailing different learning approaches for knowledge transfer. Understanding learning approaches required for different topics and cohorts is an essential next step to improve practical outcomes associated with development, change, and adoption processes. This project represents an opportunity for FRDC to build on this initial investment and generate new knowledge on the connection between learning approaches and knowledge transfer to enhance the fisheries and aquaculture sector’s capability and capacity for adaptability and change.
A systematic review of the literature on the topics of adult learning, knowledge transfer, and transformational change will identify and evaluate relevant findings for the fisheries and aquaculture sector. These will be further ground-truthed through extensive stakeholder consultation within (a) wild catch organisations, (b) aquaculture organisations, and (c) through the wider industry knowledge network (e.g. extension officers and research teams). A compilation of informal and formal learning and development opportunities in fishing and aquaculture within organisations and in the wider industry will be analysed, and case studies of best practice identified, analysed and showcased as examples of successful change, adoption, skill development and shift in mindset.
These evidence-based context-specific insights will be translated into a guide, tool or micro-credential for best practice in designing and delivering knowledge transfer and practice change activities. The usefulness and ease of use of this resource will be tested in a workshop with FRDC extension professionals and other interested stakeholders, refined and then introduced to the fisheries and aquaculture community for application to learning and training in organisations and throughout the wider industry. It is expected that the findings of this project will have implications for the project Capability and capacity: Navigating leadership pathways in fishing in aquaculture, in particular insights on how learning approaches for the topic area of non-technical skills development (e.g. communication, team effectiveness, career self-management, problem-solving, strategic thinking and foresight) occur within organisations that may prove to be the start of the leadership pathway for people within fisheries and aquaculture, and if done effectively may widen and diversity the talent pipeline into mid to high leadership level development opportunities.
This project has been designed with a 12-month timeline, with options to scale down if required by FRDC.