BURSARIES OFFERED BY WESTERN ROCK LOBSTER

Bursaries offered by Western Rock Lobster. Western Rock Lobster (WRL) has announced it is providing the opportunity for 10 young industry leaders from the Western Australian rock lobster industry to attend the 2019 Trans-Tasman Rock Lobster Congress in Queenstown, New Zealand later this year.
Western Rock Lobster (WRL) is the peak industry body representing the interests of the western rock lobster fishery in western Australia.
The bursaries are aimed at future leaders of the Western Rock Lobster Industry and target skippers and crew members who are actively engaged in fishing operations.
Chairman Kim Colero said attending the congress will allow bursary winners to network with rock lobster fishers, managers and scientists from across Australia and New Zealand.
“It is great to be able to offer the opportunity for our industry’s young leaders to engage in current industry discussions and debate,” he said.
“There is so much to learn from these experiences and attending the Trans-Tasman congress this year will really help support their ambitions and future involvement within the western rock lobster industry.”
Each $3,000 bursary, funded by WRL and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, can be used towards the costs of congress registration, travel and accommodation.
The theme of the 2019 Trans-Tasman Rock Lobster Congress is “Supporting Success”.
In October 2018, Western Rock Lobster held its first DECK Program forum which aims to build capacity within the industry. The programs provide professional development opportunities for participants to build their industry knowledge, skills, capability and networks to continually improve their fishing operations and business management.
Western Rock Lobster CEO Matt Taylor said those who attended really valued the experience and will encourage others to attend in the future.
“We were really encouraged to see the next generation of our industry putting forward great ideas and being so willing to learn, question and become involved through the DECK Program,” Mr Taylor said.
Presentations ranged from social licence and building trust in the industry, to benchmarking and succession planning.
Mr Taylor said the program was part of WRL’s commitment to developing young future leaders for the western rock lobster industry.
“We want to ensure our industry remains sustainable and viable for generations to come and an integral part of that is to invest in our next generation leaders.”
This FRDC funded project is administered by the Western Rock Lobster Council Industry Partnership Agreement (IPA).
Applications for the bursaries are open until 11th March 2019 and can be sent to clare@westernrocklobster.org
Successful applicants will be advised by 1st April 2019.