New Fisheries Engineering education programme right around the corner Published 12.06.2018
The Greenland Institute of Natural Resources recently hosted a workshop on a new initiative that the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) Aqua has launched in collaboration with the Greenland Self-Government and stakeholders within the education sector and fishery industry in Greenland. According to the plan, from 1 September 2019 it will be possible to start the Bachelor of Fisheries Technology, also called Fisheries Engineering, in Sisimiut. The education programme will be offered by the Arctic Technology Centre, ARTEK, where 25 students from Greenland and Denmark will be able to start the four-year degree programme. The major part of the education will be taken in Greenland, the other part will be at DTU in Denmark.
“This education has long been wanted in Greenland, and now it is becoming a reality. Especially the fisheries industry has demanded this education, and therefore we have structured the education in close dialogue and built it around the wishes and needs of the Greenlandic stakeholders. The new Bachelor´s programme will support the education and fisheries strategies of the Greenland Self-Government,” says Nina Qvistgaard, Senior Executive Educations Officer at DTU Aqua and project manager of the coming Fisheries Engineering education programme.
Senior Executive Educations Officer at DTU Aqua, Nina Qvistgaard, explains that the fisheries engineers from Greenland and Denmark are expected to start the education programme in Sisimiut 1 September 2019. The plans for the education programme, however, need approval from the Danish Accreditation Institution this autumn
Nina Qvistgaard explains that the education is structured around the focus areas: General biology and oceanography, catch technology, securing a sustainable exploitation of the fishery resources, food processes in fish and shellfish production, fisheries management, and finally a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship as a cross-disciplinary element. It is an international education, but with Danish as the teaching language, and it will aim at both Arctic and global fisheries contexts.
“Obviously, fish do not recognise national borders. The global ecosystem is connected. We also have a mutual interest in climate change. The entire world has much to learn from the changes and possibilities that we see in the Arctic. We need fisheries engineers in both Greenland and Denmark. DTU already has an excellent collaboration with the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, and we hope to include collaboration on education. We would also like to extend that to also cover the North-Atlantic countries,” says Nina Qvistgaard.
Representatives from Royal Greenland, Polar Raajat, Greenland Business Association, the Ministries of Education and Fisheries, Arctic Circle Business in Sisimiut, ARTEK Sisimiut, Ilisimatusarfik, the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources as well as DTU Aqua participated in the workshop.
The Danish Government will finance the coming education programme with contributions from the Greenland Self-Government. DTU Aqua expects to hand in its application for approval of the education to the Danish Accreditation Institution in September 2018.
Some of the representatives from the industry and management. From the left, Head of Education at Royal Greenland, Inga Dora Markussen and next Head of Department Amalie Jessen at the Ministry of Fisheries and Hunting.
For more information, please contact:
Senior Executive Educations Officer at DTU Aqua and project manager, Nina Qvistgaard, phone +45 40487790, e-mail: niq@aqua.dtu.dk
