A TRAILBLAZER apprenticeship for new entrant fishermen has been given the green light by England's Skills Minister Nick Boles.
A sea fishing apprenticeship has been delivered successfully in Whitby for many years and has proved immensely popular, but the Richard Review in 2013 called for improvements in apprenticeships to better reflect the needs of employers and as a result all apprenticeships have to be re-written as trailblazers by 2017.
Seafish will work with fishing vessel owners, skippers and organisations – including the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency – all of whom are committed to keeping the apprenticeship route open.
Apprenticeships combine classroom training with on-the-job learning, giving trainees valuable experience and a nationally-recognised qualification.
The training covers all the duties expected of a deckhand including preparing the deck, the use, storage and maintenance of fishing gear, engine room support, handling and stowing the catch, and keeping watch. Successful trainees must be physically fit, have good eyesight, and be able to communicate well with others.
Simon Potten, Head of Safety Training and Services at Seafish, explained: "We welcome this backing from the Minister and are really enthusiastic to re-develop the Sea Fishing Apprenticeship as a Trailblazer, so it is fit-for-purpose for the next generation of fishermen.
"Commercial fishing is a challenging occupation. An apprenticeship provides the best possible route into the fishing industry for new entrants as it combines comprehensive training with work experience. Over a twelve month period it produces competent deckhands with transferable maritime skills. Many apprentices go on to develop long and successful careers in the fishing industry."
Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive of the Whitby & District Fishing Industry Training School, added: "It's fantastic to see apprenticeships in maritime occupations going from strength to strength. This backing from the Government underlines the importance of investing in the future generation of fishermen. The Whitby Fishing School has run a Sea Fishing Apprenticeship for many years and has successfully achieved national recognition for our innovative high quality training methods. It's exciting to see so many enthusiastic young people coming into the industry and a real pleasure to train them in a number of important roles."
Full story here courtesy of FishNewsEU
