Training opportunities for new entrants

Training opportunities for new entrants

Are there still opportunities for young people at sea? the short answer is yes.

But perhaps the better question is: How do you prepare new entrants for a career in fishing?

Basic sea survival training

Boat owners often tell us they struggle to find skilled, reliable crew. Some even say they’ve had to postpone or cancel fishing trips, losing days at sea and potential fishing income because they don’t have enough crew to operate the boat.

In the past, it was common for youngsters to learn fishing from the older generation, sometimes before leaving school. Changes in workplace regulations mean that traditional routes into the industry are now less common, as Linda Hope, Manager at the Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead explains, “Though new entrants traditionally came through a family connection, that’s not necessarily the way anymore. The next generation of fishermen may not come from fishing families at all.”

To meet the demand for skilled crew, comprehensive new entrant training programmes are essential. The legal requirement for basic safety training is sea survival, firefighting, first aid, and health & safety. These four basic courses are absolutely necessary for anyone training to work as a fisherman.

Many training providers also offer in-depth training that incorporates hands-on learning, particularly for new entrants, to help better prepare them for fishing careers. These include programmes like Seafish’s 3-week Introduction to Commercial Fishing (ICF) course, Whitby Fishing School’s 12-month Diploma and the Modern Apprenticeship in Sea Fishing at NAFC in Shetland or The Scottish Maritime Academy in Peterhead.

Established in 2009, Seafish’s 3-week ICF course is now delivered by 12 training providers around the UK. The fully-funded course includes training on ropes and knots, care of catch, net mending, basic engineering, navigation, and the mandatory basic safety courses.

But preparing for a fishing career requires training beyond the classroom, as Linda explains, “Including a practical element is crucial to ensure students have the skills required to work effectively.”

At the Anglo-Scottish Seafish and Seafood Training Association in Amble, training manager Dennis Osborne adds a day at sea on a local boat into the ICF course where possible.

“If we can get them out on a vessel, even for a day, it gives trainees the opportunity to practice some basics and make sure it’s for them,” Dennis explains.

Students on the ICF course at Coleg Llandrillo spend time on a chartered boat to get boat handling and navigation experience. The boat makes stops along the Welsh coastline, giving students a well-rounded understanding of the entire seafood supply chain. Andy White, course coordinator at Coleg Llandrillo explains, “it’s all about engaging with students in a practical way, both on- and off-shore.”

The Whitby and District Fishing Industry Training School has also combined practical learning through their Diploma in Sea Fishing. The Diploma is the only year-long training programme in England with a built-in 10-month placement as a trainee deckhand.

The Whitby fishing school was set up 16 years ago to bring new life to the local fishing community after Whitby-based skippers raised concerns about the lack of newcomers joining the industry.

The diploma is open to 16-24 year olds and attracts applicants from all over the UK. As Anne Hornigold, Chief Executive of Whitby Fishing School explains, “A small percentage of trainees come from fishing families, but we also get trainees from places like Sheffield or Manchester who come in with no background and are absolute naturals!”

Training includes 10 weeks of classroom-based training and 10 months of practical experience as a trainee deckhand on board a fishing boat. In the classroom there is often a mix of trainees who have been to sea as trainee deckhands and trainees who are brand new.

“The mixed class is really beneficial,” says Anne. “They all chat together and the trainees who have been to sea can share their experiences with the new enrolment.”

Trainees are matched with a local boat, as Anne explains, “We know the skippers quite well, so we try to match trainees with skippers who we think will work well together. Different people respond better to different things so it’s important that we make the right matches to give trainees the best opportunity to succeed.”

The school agrees on a training plan with skippers to ensure trainees get enough experience with each of the relevant tasks. The skipper or first mate completes the trainee’s sea log to confirm they have covered all the training. Progress is tracked and reviewed every eight weeks to ensure the trainees are on track to complete their training within 12 months.

“We couldn’t run without the skippers,” emphasises Anne. “They keep taking on trainees year after year without any incentive except to get more youngsters into the industry. They’re absolutely superb.”

Luke Russell skippers a 10m boat, fishing for lobsters and crabs out of Whitby. He’s had four trainees from the fishing school on his boat over the past three years, one of which he kept on for a year after completing the Diploma.

“I haven’t had a bad one yet!” says Luke. “They’ve all been keen to learn and get stuck in. Once they pick it up, they pick it up quickly and work hard,” says Luke.

Luke sees the practical component as vital for new trainees, “They don’t really start learning until they get on board, because there’s a limit to what you can learn in the classroom.

Every day is different, and once they settle on the boat they can really learn how it works.”

Basic sea survival training

At 32, Luke says he’s the second youngest skipper working out of Whitby, and that a lot of local fishermen are nearing retirement. “With few people coming into the industry,” he explains. “It’s even more important to give young people the opportunity to get real experience on board fishing boats as part of their training so that they can see what it takes.

Without the school, there would be even fewer people coming in, and if there aren’t enough people coming in, there won’t be an industry.”

The trainee deckhand placements are a win-win for trainees and skippers. Skippers do not have to pay the trainees a salary, and trainees are not out of pocket because the school supports them financially. “Trainees are given a weekly hardship allowance and the school covers all of their costs; travel, bed, breakfast and evening meals,” explains Anne.

All in all, trainees graduate with 12 certificates, a full kit of safety gear and 10 months of deckhand experience.

“Graduates of the diploma programme are very employable,” Anne maintains. “It’s far easier for graduates with the diploma to find placements on boats once they finish than if they only had their basic safety training.

A lot of skippers want to take our graduates because they’ve had 10 months experience at sea. Our trainees leave with the right qualifications and experience so the whole training is more robust.”

The school also helps graduates find work in the fishing industry. “Often-times,” says Anne, “skippers will ring us and ask if we’ve got anyone who has just qualified or is about to. Other times the skipper who they’re training with will offer them a permanent position once they qualify.”

Whitby Fishing School also set up the website www.ukfishingjobs.org a few years ago to help match vacancies with potential candidates, as Anne explains, “Skippers log on to their part of the website and enter information about the position they want to fill. Then on the other side, people looking for work log on to their part of the website and enter details about their qualifications, the position they’re looking for and where they are based or are willing to travel to.”

Behind the scenes, the database matches suitable candidates with job postings and sends the employer information on the most suitable candidates. “Some match exactly and some are a best match, but it gives employers a good list of possible candidates,” explains Anne.

Though many jobs are still found through word of mouth, this and other websites like www.findafishingboat.com can match candidates with jobs that they wouldn’t otherwise hear about.

Since it opened in 2002, the Whitby Fishing School has had huge success in training the next generation of fishermen. The diploma scheme alone has had 156 successful graduates since 2004.

The school monitors where graduates go when they finish, and according to Anne, the majority stay in the industry. “In fact,” says Anne, “Some of the fishermen who now live in Whitby came from elsewhere to train at the school and have settled here because they’ve found positions on local vessels.”

These “old boys”, many of whom are now skippers themselves, will often take on a trainee from the school. “It’s all cyclical,” says Anne.

Whitby harbour

If there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that the UK fishing industry is diverse and one size does not fit all. But with training providers increasingly offering more in-depth training with the opportunity to gain practical sea experience, new entrants will be more skilled when they enter the industry.