We're kicking off the Blue Resource programme with an introductory course which will give a broad overview and some preliminary insights into the different sectors of the Blue Economy in an international context. This course will be organized in a blended manner, consisting of an on-site opening event in Ostend, Belgium from the 10th until the 14th of January (2022), combined with the digital preparation of a group project. This opening event will consist of lectures and workshops which will cover the basic concepts in Blue Economy, as well as an introduction to the traditional and newly emerging marine and maritime sectors. Some themes that will be covered in this event: fisheries, aquaculture, coastal tourism, deep sea mining, advanced technologies,.. During this on-site event, you will not only get the opportunity to learn about the sector first-hand, but you will also get the chance to interact with lecturers, being experts from the industry and academia. This course will give you a solid basis for your further trajectory in this programme and throughout your professional career in Blue Economics. Follow this link for more information.

Aspiring a career in Blue Economics? Let's get you the relevant knowledge and skill set to obtain the right blue entrepreneurial mindset. This online course will give you the basics on accounting, marketing, operation management, and the different processes that need to be undertaken to draft your own potential business plan. After this course, you will have obtained the necessary toolbox to develop your very own business plan/startup, taking into account potential risks and ethical considerations. Follow this link for more information. 

Get familiar with the roles and professions within the Blue Economy during a 10-week research or business internship. Get into contact with and perform your internship in a relevant company or institution active in the Blue Economy sector in Belgium, Ireland, or any other country. Already holding a position in a relevant company? Undertake you internship at you current employer - in agreement with your supervisor and mentor - and engage in an interesting research question/project. During your 10-week internship you will receive on-the-job training to improve your professional competence, under the guidance of a mentor in business and an academic supervisor from the university, and will be evaluated through a close monitoring system. Follow this link for more information. 

Complete your programme with an on-site closing event in Galway from the 5th until the 8th of September (2022). This course succeeds the internship and will focus on (1) exchanging experiences with peers, (2) identifying challenges and weaknesses in the internship setting, and (3) developing ideas for future developments, collaborations and improvements. Time to put all your obtained from previous course - as well as your internship - into practice! Via interactive workshops and discussion groups, you will learn how to put personal experiences in a broader context and how tot develop out-of-the-box solutions for shared challenges. Follow this link for more information.

The broaden module in this programme enables you to choose one of more additional courses from a shared list available from UGent and GMIT. Due to the multidisciplinary nature of the program and the diverse backgrounds of all the students, you may have different training needs compared with your colleague students. Via an individual and in-depth skills-gap analysis, we propose certain courses aimed at further expansion of your Blue Economy competences. Follow this link for more information.