Techlink :: The Garin College/Sealord Link

Students crumbing fish

In 2004, Nelson secondary school Technology teacher Jo Calt at Garin College went to seafood company Sealord with a request: Could one of the company's food technologists come and help her out with her senior classes?

Through the company's Human Resources manager she was put in touch with senior food technologist Frits Hofman.

Jo says when she got in touch with Sealord she didn't have any firm ideas about what she wanted. Involving a professional technologist would doubtless improve her knowledge of food science and technology, give her an overview of industrial Food Technology, and hopefully bring her lessons to life, but she had no concrete expectations or plans for Frits.

"When Frits came to the school I explained the Technology Curriculum to him and we talked about what he could do, about what directions we could take." Frits agreed to come and speak to the senior students about his job and the process of product development.

During his talk, Frits explained the steps his company followed when developing something new for the market. He described the legal and legislative aspects of product development and all the other things that don't immediately spring to mind but which have to be considered and resolved. He covered key questions in areas such as manufacturing – can the product-as-designed actually be made? Is there a cheaper way of doing that? – and marketing – What is the target market? Does the market actually exist?.

Frits was comfortable in the classroom – he'd had done some teaching in the past and had been involved in other Sealord educational/vocational initiatives. The following year, he agreed – on behalf of Sealord – to act as a client for the Year 13 project work and be involved in some of the teaching.

Sealord product range

Jo wanted the class to focus on product development. Frits suggested the best way to go about this was to have the students work through the process as a project. "How do you develop a product from scratch? What are the staging gates? What is the terminology of the process?,” are questions Frits suggested were covered. "I said the easiest way to learn all this would be for the students to take on a project. We [Sealord] had plenty of development projects, some of them we were working on and some were almost solved, but that didn't matter."

Sealord very generously provided a range of raw materials-including mussels, breadcrumbs and fish dust (dust and chips of frozen fish produced when blocks of fish sawn are up during processing) for the class to use.

On his visits to the classroom, Frits gave students technical advice, answered their questions, and put their work in context by relating what they were doing to what occurs in industry.

Final product

Although he did make a few front-of-class presentations on subjects such as cost accounting, Frits describes his role in the classroom as "assisting" Jo and giving the unit its practical content. "It's not a lecturing approach. It's more guiding. I get the students to ask questions and do the talking."

One thing was quickly established at the outset: Frits wasn't there to waste his time. Jo explained to the students that Frits was taking time out from a busy schedule to help them out and they responded well, she says.

In fact, their good attitude was reflected in their whole learning approach (and the results they achieved), she says. "The students sat up and paid attention. They felt accountable to the Sealord Group and not just their teacher. It wasn't just another school assignment, there was the expectation that the very best job possible was called for." The knowledge that at the end of the unit, they would have to make a presentation to Frits and some other Sealord figures, about their projects, also acted as a spur.

Frits Hofman visiting the class

Frits enjoyed dealing with the students: "It's very exciting, especially when they are enthusiastic. They think a lot more 'out of the square'. They come up with ideas that initially seem very strange, but when you start to think about them, you think 'hang on, maybe there's something in this'.” He has filed an idea or two away for some further thought some time in the future.

While he takes an obvious enjoyment in the success of the students, Frits says he is unable to gauge exactly how much his input contributed to this success, in terms of achieving the goals of the technology curriculum. "I'm more concerned with making practical contribution rather than theory. It's not my job, I'll leave that to the teaching profession."

Whatever the measurable results of the link, Frits reckons his contribution brought a number of intangible benefits. "Students get to see somebody who works in the industry and enjoys it. They may be stimulated to study and to set goals." Also, by interacting with a professional other than their teacher, students learn to be assertive, he says. "This is important if they go on to tertiary study where they are expected to ask questions."

By having a practising technologist in the classroom, students (and their teachers) can be directed to up-to-date information of which they may not otherwise have been aware, he says. "Teachers have to teach the latest material, but how do they find it? Professionals know because they deal with it everyday." Practising technologists also have an intimate grasp of the details that may otherwise get lost. "Things like packaging becomes interesting when the detail is explained."
From a personal perspective, Frits says being involved was an opportunity to share something of his 25 years of experience as a food technologist and his excitement for his job.

Checking the temperature of the crumbed fish

From a company perspective, Frits says Sealord's involvement has a number of benefits. Frits' involvement at Garin College is part of Sealord's strategy to promote Food Technology as a career option to students. Sealord's success depends on continually developing innovative products, and for this they need food technologists, he says. For a number of years, the company has hosted school visits to its Nelson plants and participated in career days to let students know the company is about more than freezing and filleting fish. The company has also hosted a number of internships for tertiary Food Technology students.

Also, as a large employer in the Nelson region, the company has a social responsibility. "Through these links we achieve something outside the area of making money for the shareholders."

"And, you never know, there was also the chance that one of the students would come up with an idea worthy of commercial development."

Student presentation

Final product

Jo is very enthusiastic about the link. Besides bringing the unit to life and making it engaging for the students and lifting achievement levels, having Frits on hand was a great opportunity for some personal professional development. She recommends the experience to other Technology teachers.

The main challenge in establishing and maintaining the link was timetabling, as Garin College works on a fortnightly cycle. Jo made a point of reminding her students well ahead of time of their scheduled 'appointment' with Frits, and of reminding them again, nearer the time.

Jo was very keen to show her, and the class's, appreciation at the end of the year. But how do you thank someone who selflessly gives of their time week after week? How do you thank a company that makes it possible? What's appropriate? Cash? Koha? In the end, following the final class presentations to Sealord representatives, the class hosted a morning tea for them.

At present, the relationship between Sealord and Garin College is ongoing, and, to Jo, the key to this sustainability is clear: communication and respect.

She recommends technology teachers seek out and involve people like Frits in their teaching. "The best way of initiating such a link is to simply start the conversation. You don't have to know what direction you want to go in. Things will develop and evolve naturally."