FISHERMEN ENCOURAGED TO TAKE FREE SAFETY TRAINING COURSES

Fishermen encouraged to take free safety training courses while funding is available. Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, is encouraging commercial fishermen across the country to take advantage of the free places on safety training courses.

Funding has been provided by the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA). It can be used to support attendance on a wide range of relevant courses for experienced commercial fishermen, as well as supporting new entrants into the industry. Funding will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, so fishermen are encouraged to book places now to avoid missing out.

Simon Potten, Head of Safety and Training at Seafish said:

“Commercial fishing is not for the faint-hearted; physically demanding, with long hours of work in an unpredictable environment. Those brave enough to take it on need a wide range of knowledge and skills to be able to work effectively, stay safe and enjoy the rewards of their labour.

“From new entrant to experienced fisherman, undertaking training on a regular basis helps keep knowledge and skills up-to-date; the safety of the fishing vessel and its crew depends upon it.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer commercial fishermen the opportunity to undertake training free of charge and grateful to EMFF and the MCA for their support in making this possible. I encourage those working in the industry to book places on courses now, so that they have an opportunity to take advantage of free training while funding is available.”

New entrants and experienced fishermen can undertake a wide range of courses with the funding available, including:

• Introduction to Commercial Fishing
• Basic Safety Training refreshers
• Navigation/Watchkeeping, Engineering, Stability Awareness, Radio Operation (courses which can lead to the award of a Seafish Under 16.5m Skipper’s Certificate)
• Deck and Engineer Officer Certificates of Competency

These are provided by Seafish’s network of Approved Training Providers (ATPs) located across the country (though courses can be undertaken with other training providers). Contact details for

ATPs and further information can be found on the Seafish website

To find out more call the Seafish Training team on 01472 252302 or email us at training@seafish.co.uk.