Sandy Neil

Situations vacant

Upskilling the UK workforce is a potential answer to staff shortages in the seafood sector

ACOMBINATION of Brexit and Covid-19 has caused an exodus of European employees from the seafood processing sector – and eff orts to a� ract UK workers into those posts are failing. So says the trade body, Seafood Scotland, which es� mates that a quarter of posts in the industry are currently vacant.

December saw the launching of two major ini� a� ves, one from the UK Government and one from the Sco� sh Government, both seeking to address staff and skill shortages in the sector.

The UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Aff airs (Defra) announced a Skills and Training Scheme to encourage new entrants into the industry.

“Up to £10m will be used to encourage new entrants into the processing, catching and aquaculture sectors, alongside training and upskilling current workers,” DEFRA explained. “We will do this by off ering an improved package of training to people joining the industry and making it easier for people from coastal communi� es to progress through their career.”

Seafood businesses in Scotland are also being off ered a set of training packages as part of a Business Improvement Programme launched by Seafood Scotland. Seafood Scotland has been awarded £100,000 from the Sco� sh Government’s Na� onal Transi� on Training Fund to support onshore ac� vi� es of seafood businesses across the country, upskilling and training employees to support company growth.

The programme will provide bespoke training packages to companies to help support their objec� ves. Companies will have access to over 60 courses, ranging from fi sh frying, knife skills and monger training to customer and human resource services, as well as guidance on business planning and strategy. The programme will be delivered to current staff members over the age of 25 using fl exible and hybrid methods, such as self-taught online modules and guided virtual sessions.

The Na� onal Transi� on Training Fund was launched in 2020 by Skills Development Scotland, Scotland’s na� onal skills body, following the rise in

This page from top: Fish processing facility; Donna Fordyce; Seafood counter Opposite: Seafood processing

unemployment due to Covid-19.

“Given all the challenges the sector has been forced to face over the past two years due to the pandemic and other huge obstacles, everyone recognises the need for businesses to be as agile as possible,” said Gerry McBride, Strategic Rela� ons Manager – Food & Drink at Skills Development Scotland, on announcing the scheme. “The programme will enable businesses to retrain, upskill and adapt their workforce to meet the everchanging requirements of the marketplace and the economic landscape.”

The training scheme is a response to increasing staff and skills shortages in the sector, explains Seafood Scotland’s CEO, Donna Fordyce: “Currently between 20% and 25% of vacancies are le� unfi lled, predominantly in seafood processing and catching and fi shing roles. Pre-Brexit, Eastern Europeans represented 52% of the Sco� sh seafood workforce and rural communi� es relied on imported labour, with up to 92% of the workforce coming from the EU.

“The shortage is twofold. The seafood industry here in Scotland relies on the EU workers to fi ll posi� ons. Following Brexit and the eff ects of the Covid-19 pandemic, workers who would have taken these posi� ons have returned home and the number s� ll working here has declined.”

Ini� a� ves such as “Sea A Bright Future” from the Sco� sh Seafood Associa� on have been set up to promote and a� ract Bri� sh workers to fi ll roles across the industry, as well as those in the EU. Despite eff orts, there has been a decline in applicants, par� cularly from UK ci� zens.

Fordyce says: “Skilled posi� ons are diffi cult to fi ll. That’s why plans and support to upskill and train workers will be paramount to fi lling the shortage of workers. We are working hard to have seafood processing added to the shortage occupa� on list to support workers to return to the UK and take up the posi� ons. By working together, government and industry can unlock the poten� al to fi ll these roles.

“The con� nued eff ort from the industry to a� ract new talent to its roles should not go unrecognised. Many genera� ons have worked in businesses throughout the industry and new processes have been put in place to hold on to and transfer this invaluable knowledge through appren� ceships and training programmes to help fi ll these roles locally.

“These types of ini� a� ves, coupled with the Government’s review of the shortage occupa� on list, will provide a boost to those recrui� ng for these roles. The seafood sector is a £1.6bn industry and has a huge range of diverse and rewarding roles available.”

The window for applica� ons for this funding is open un� l March, and Fordyce strongly encourages any onshore seafood businesses to take the opportunity to upskill and train staff without the burden of addi� onal costs.

Meanwhile Seafi sh, the public body that supports “This simply requires a commitment on the part of employers”

the UK seafood industry, is op� mis� c the gaps can be fi lled as long as employers “invest in the skills development of their workers”. “While we are hearing anecdotally that many businesses are facing signifi cant recruitment issues, this is not the case across the board as some other businesses are also telling us that they are s� ll managing to get the workforce that they need,” says Simon Po� en, Head of Training, Safety and

Services at Seafi sh.

He adds: “We are not aware of any signifi cant skills shortages amongst existing seafood processing workers that cannot be resolved through exis� ng and planned training programmes and delivery. This simply requires a commitment on the part of employers to invest in the skills development of their workers.”

Businesses across diff erent areas of the UK have fl agged diff erent labour and recruitment challenges. Sco� sh seafood processing businesses were the most heavily dependent on EU labour, so they are facing more acute shortages than some other areas across the UK. This is aff ec� ng all sectors.

Po� en says: “In the Grimsby/Humber region, there is a perceived shortage of low-skilled produc� on staff and knife-skilled fi sh fi lleters – this was more of a challenge when produc� on increased for the fes� ve period.

“In South West England, the fi shing fl eet is con� nuing to restrict landings to align to limited processing capacity. Some processing facili� es appear to be priori� sing higher-value species with be� er margins due to unavailability of staff . In Northern Ireland there is more discussion of labour issues on boats (during busier parts of the fi shing season) rather than in factories, which can recruit more easily from the local community than other processing hubs.

“Reten� on of staff is also an ongoing issue generally. It is an employees’ market at the moment: people have choices and are exercising them. This is an issue that is not exclusive to the seafood sector.”

Seafi sh is working with partners in the various na� onal and regional Seafood Training Networks (STNs) to address skills shortages. The Sco� sh STN has been leading the delivery of Scotland’s Seafood Skills Ac� on Plan to upskill workers and is currently delivering a Seafood Business Improvement Programme.

The Yorkshire & Lincolnshire STN is suppor� ng delivery of the UK Food Valley (Seafood) project fund, while the Welsh STN is working with the Welsh Government to establish the need for a skills development programme.

Po� en adds: “We have also been administering funding to provide training for seafood processing businesses and new entrants throughout the UK. We have recently transformed our delivery of training programmes to take advantage of new technology for remote online delivery; this has made training more accessible and cost-eff ec� ve pan-UK.

“We have recently been suppor� ng a pilot ‘Sea a Bright Future’ campaign to promote job and career opportuni� es in the seafood processing sector in North East Scotland.

“We’ll also be back out surveying the seafood industry about labour and recruitment later this year to keep on top of the issue.”

These ini� a� ves will, the industry hopes, not only help local businesses but also ensure that there is seafood on all of our plates for the years to come. FF