ON COURSE FOR SEA CHANGE

THE increasing worldwide devastation of marine environments has prompted trainers to develop new courses in a bid to fast-track restoration efforts.

The certificate II and III qualifications in marine conservation and restoration are the first vocational education courses of their type in the world and will be offered from next semester.

Course founder Shelly Bengiat, from Envirotech Education, says marine restoration jobs were previously only available to those with a marine biology degree. She says the new, hands-on courses mean students will be qualified to work on marine habitat projects within months.

“(These courses) will open the door to hundreds of jobs in marine habitat restoration and environmental sustainability, such as coral gardeners, coral nursery experts and marine park rangers,’’ she says.

Bengiat says the vocational qualifications will “break the glass ceiling’’ that has prevented fishers, indigenous people and minorities living on islands and in coastal regions from working in jobs to protect their own marine environment.

But she also sees it as a stepping stone for those wanting to progress to a marine biology degree.

Marine ecologist Dr Alexandra Campbell, a councillor of the Australian Marine Sciences Association and bioscience lecturer at Sunshine Coast University, says plenty of marine science jobs exist for those with the right qualifications.

She says a marine science degree is the minimum qualification needed to work in the field but the vocational courses may help those looking to join marine restoration projects.

Ryan Roberts (pictured), 17, has combined his Year 12 studies with a Certificate IV in Environmental Management and Sustainability.

“This (marine restoration) course would broaden my understanding about how marine systems work and what they need to function,’’ Roberts says.