Awards of £3.9 million has been made to projects to improve the quality of training facilities to upskill the workforce and promote seafood careers, as well as build new and improved sea fishing infrastructure. This comes under the £100 million UK Seafood Fund, designed to support the long term future of the UK fisheries and seafood sector through investment in modern infrastructure, science and innovation, skills and training, and support for exports.
This latest round goes to four projects across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as part of Round 2 of the Skills and Training scheme – building on the £1.1 million of funding that was around through the first round earlier this year and which goes towards new purpose-built classrooms, technical training areas including a new Maritime Bridge Simulator, and improved facilities for blended training.
The funding includes £3 million to the Scottish White Fish Producers Association to build a Scottish Seafood Centre of Excellence that will replace a temporary training space with a high-quality industry facility in the northeast of Scotland. The facility will include purpose-built classrooms, technology demonstration spaces, and facilities for blended training so trainees around the country can benefit from the facility.
Other projects to receive support include the refurbishment of training facilities at the harbour in Portavogie, Northern Ireland, the upgrade of the Maritime Bridge Simulator at the University of the Highlands and Islands’ campus in the Shetland Islands, and the refurbishment and extension of facilities in Grimsby to create a new Seafood School.
‘Our members and the wider seafood sector are delighted at the award of £3 million pounds from the DEFRA training infrastructure fund, which will allow us to build a seafood Centre of excellence at the very heart of our fishing community,’ said Mike Park, Chief Executive of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association.
‘The Centre will be the delivery point and hub for both onshore and offshore training supported by classroom and virtual learning and will provide an ideal base to help stimulate recruitment to the seafood sector.’
The UK Seafood Fund is currently open for applications from the commercial catching sector to purchase new, more fuel-efficient engines or to modify existing engines. Grants of up to £160,000 are on offer through Round 3 of the Infrastructure Scheme to trial greener engine technology, helping to create a safe and sustainable fishing sector whilst tackling rising fuel costs.
The UK Seafood Fund is part of the government’s wider work to invest in the long term prosperity of coastal communities around the country, creating jobs and boosting businesses. The Levelling Up Fund has seen around £1 billion allocated to 50 projects in coastal to boost town centre and high street regeneration, invest in local transport projects, and support cultural and heritage assets.
