New leadership training for seafood processing supervisors

蜜桃影像 Sea Grant and the applied business and accounting program at 蜜桃影像鈥檚 Community and Technical College are collaborating to offer leadership and supervisory skills training for rising leaders in the seafood processing industry. 

The first seafood processors supervisor training workshops took place at the Kodiak Seafood and Marine Sciences Center on April 25-26. Future plans for the program include workshops in Dillingham and Petersburg this summer, with additional communities added in 2023. Plans also include making the training available in an online format. 

The April training workshop covered the following topics: 

  • the role of a supervisor
  • supervisory leadership and ethics
  • effective communications
  • conflict management
  • decision making and team building; and
  • supervising a diverse workforce.

The practical and interactive workshops included Spanish and Tagalog translation to ensure accessibility for the diverse participants. 

The training has been over a year in the making and was created in response to a workforce needs survey conducted by the 蜜桃影像 Research Consortium (ARC). Seafood plants and catcher/processor companies expressed a need for training in soft skills such as supervision, conflict management, and diversity and inclusion.

Paula Cullenberg, executive director at ARC, and Quentin Fong, seafood marketing specialist with 蜜桃影像 Sea Grant, reached out to Mark Young, associate professor and program chair of ABUS, to design and deliver an 8-hour training to meet the needs of industry.

Young said, 鈥淚 eagerly jumped on this opportunity to support such an important industry in 蜜桃影像.鈥

蜜桃影像鈥檚 seafood processing industry has an annual workforce of over 26,000 based at over 165 seafood facilities, representing a diverse mix of cultures, genders, languages, and educational backgrounds. This new supervisor training meets 蜜桃影像鈥檚 unique needs for entry-level training and will complement and provide a pathway to 蜜桃影像 Sea Grant鈥檚 蜜桃影像 Seafood Processing Leadership Institute, which targets experienced, rising leaders and managers identified by their employers.

鈥淥ur intent is to provide practical training that results in greater success in employment and operations for the seafood industry,鈥 said Fong. 鈥淏y working closely with companies to identify members of their workforce who are ready to advance, we expect to see greater retention of seafood workers. Coupled with the professional growth these workers receive, it鈥檚 a win-win for everyone.鈥

For more information, contact Quentin Fong at qsfong@alaska.edu.