The North Atlantic Fisheries College Marine Centre has marked the long service of two staff who have worked there for a total of 45 years. Caroline Hepburn has worked at the centre for 25 years and Saro Saravanan has worked there for 20 years.
‘These milestones represent significant achievements by two key members of staff, both of whom have made substantial contributions to the NAFC Marine Centre and to the industries that the centre serves,’ said NAFC Principal Willie Shannon.
Caroline Hepburn joined the then Shetland Fishermen’s Training Association (SFTA) in October 1994, working with the late Gussie Angus to organise training for the local fishing and aquaculture industries. Among the new entrants that she helped start their careers in these industries are many of Shetland’s current fishermen, some of whom are now skippers with their own boats.
Caroline’s industry liaison role continued after the SFTA was absorbed into NAFC but has since expanded to include support for all students attending both NAFC and Shetland College.
Saro Saravanan joined the NAFC’s staff as a hatchery technician in 2000. However, he had first arrived at the centre two years earlier to enrol on NAFC’s HNC course in Fisheries Science. While working on a shrimp farm in his native India, Saro had been planning to apply to university in Canada until a chance sighting of an advert in Fish Farmer magazine led him instead to Shetland.
Saro worked in the NAFC hatchery for many years on species including lobsters, halibut and cod. During that time, he became increasingly involved in the training of aquaculture apprentices and other aquaculture students and led the development NAFC’s online aquaculture training courses. Saro transferred to NAFC’s Training & Skills Department as an internal verifier in 2015 where he helps maintain the academic quality of the centre’s aquaculture training and continues the development of online courses.
‘Saro and Caroline have been excellent ambassadors for the NAFC Marine Centre over many years, and their excellent services are greatly appreciated by staff, students and industry. It is a great achievement for both of them and we wish them best of luck for the future,’ said NAFC head of aquaculture training Stuart Fitzsimmons.
