Leading vet heads SAIC skills drive
THE Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has appointed veterinary expert Dr Mary Fraser as its new head of skills and talent.
Fraser, who has more than two decades’ experience in course development and teaching, has lectured and published widely across veterinary disciplines.
In her new position, she will play a key role in aligning the skills taught to aquaculture and life sciences professionals with the industry’s evolving requirements.
She will also be responsible for the management and continued development of SAIC’s internship, graduate, and Master’s initiatives, while building its PhD programme.
The innovation centre has already sponsored MSc students on 13 of Scotland’s 16 aquaculture specific degrees and five PhD places, since its inception.
A Fellow of the Royal College ofVeterinary Surgeons, Royal Society of Public Health, Royal Society of Biology, and Higher Education Academy, Fraser has developed vocational qualifications for City & Guilds, an institution which delivers training schemes to two million people.
She said:‘Aquaculture is an area of serious growth in Scotland’s economy and with that comes demand for new skills and talent.
‘We need to develop a greater awareness of its career prospects for younger people through engagement with schools, colleges, and social media – they need to see clear examples of successful careers in aquaculture.’