TECHNICAL CAREERS

All aspects of marine science require technical support. Laboratory technicians, computer operators, shipwrights, welders, and fitters and turners, are examples of occupations with the technical expertise required to support the land-based activities of marine scientists. At sea, deckhands, skippers, diving assistants, laboratory technicians, instrument specialists and trawl operators support marine scientific work. There are a large number of research vessels operating in Australia, ranging from dinghies and runabout-sized boats to large ships such as the Franklin and Southern Surveyor operated by the CSIRO.

For school leavers seeking work in a technical field of marine science, the choice will usually be between undertaking a certificate, advanced certificate or associate diploma course at a TAFE college, or embarking on a diploma or degree program at a university or college. It would be unusual to find work in a technical career in marine science immediately after leaving school.

There are a growing number of options for training. Some institutions offer specialised courses in areas of fishing operations, aquaculture, coastal management, and coastal ecology, to name just a few. Other institutions offer a more traditional training in science, leading to more specialised diploma, degree or postgraduate courses. The Australian Maritime College in Tasmania is the national institution of higher education in maritime technical training and the only institution to provide specialised and integrated courses in the technical aspects of fisheries and shipping, which includes instruction in fisheries, naval architecture, marine engineering, shipping business and maritime electronics.

These courses can lead to employment in fishing and aquaculture at the level of technical officer, either in state fisheries departments, commonwealth fisheries services or in the private sector. Specific areas of employment include surveillance, fisheries research, seafood technology, fishing gear technology, vessel design, information and statistics, fisheries economics, marketing, communications, navigation, and shipping operations.

Photo: Student technicians working in the fish processing laboratory of the Australian Maritime College.