Wildlife and Fisheries Aquaculture Entry-Level

This is a two-level certificate program that prepares students for entry- and middle-skill (level 1), and for higher-skill work (level 2) for the burgeoning Blue Economy in Southern California, including the aquaculture industry. The program emphasizes workforce preparation at the interface of global climate change and sustainability. With consideration for environmental change, additionally, this program addresses conservation and restoration practices for endangered species.

41

to train students for entry level skills in aquaculture, aquarium science and restoration aquaculture.

While there are two other community colleges in southern California that offer some form of aquaculture program, no other program will train students to be competitive in such a breadth of occupations as does this program. This is currently a small market that needs a skilled workforce, and is expected to increase greatly in the future, as the need for food security and endangered species restoration intensifies. Some entry-level jobs can pay upwards of $32/hr. Additionally, the program is designed to enable students to continue to add skills through the level 2 certificate while still working in the industry.

This stacked certificate program fulfills the need to provide students with occupations with a living wage, with the possibility of essential paid benefits as well. Additionally, this program will provide a pathway for students who may be interested in transferring to a four-year university.

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
Certificate Level 1
Aqua 1	Introduction to Aquaculture: History, Ecology and Sustainability	3	Y1
Aqua 2	Applications in Aquaculture – System Design, Monitoring and Maintenance	4	Y1
Aqua 88B	Independent Studies in Aquaculture	2	Y1
Certificate Level 2
Aqua 3	Microbiology and Genetics for Aquaculture	4	Y2
Aqua 4	Husbandry and Life Support in Aquaculture and Aquarium Science	2	Y2
Aqua 5	Advanced Topics in Aquaculture	2	Y2
Aqua 10B	SCUBA	2	Y1 or Y2

This is a stacked certificate of achievement program from the Life Sciences Department.

There are currently no community college certificate programs in Aquaculture offered in Los Angeles or Orange County community colleges. Our research suggests that the closest program is at the College of the Redwoods (northern California), where they offer a Certificate of Achievement and an AS degree in Aquaculture Technology.

41

N/A