There is a significant shortage of skilled labour force in Europe, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Parliament proposed to make 2023 the European Year of Skill as we previously reported.

The FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (FAO GFCM) organised a training for young women from the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. The training was held from 5-12 September in various locations in Tunisia.

One of the major reasons to launch this training was to enable young women to take on top positions in the aquaculture industry. To put things into perspective: in the Mediterranean and Black Sea region, women represent between 17 and 26 percent of the workforce, and in some countries like Tunisia even as much as 56 percent. However, the opportunities for the development of skills and knowledge for women in this sector have been scarce. The GFCM training was focussed on bringing together young women across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea so they can learn about the latest developments in aquaculture and get hands-on exposure to some of the best aquaculture practices in Tunisia.

The training is in line with the GFCM 2030 Strategy for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

Moreover, it emphasises the need for further opportunities to develop skills in the aquaculture industry. And this is where the EIT Food-funded AGAPE project can make a significant contribution. Its AI-supported platform will allow matching job applicants’ profile with open positions, but moreover, it can suggest to applicants which courses to take to close existing skill gaps, and even suggest entire career paths.