HB Grandi, one of the biggest seafood companies of Iceland, boosts the skills of its production staff by organizing a series of training courses during Christmas break. It is said that around 40 staff of nine different nationalities attended three courses. Bergur Einarsson, who has organised courses on HB Grandi’s behalf, the first course was held in Icelandic and attended by nine local staff and one Lithuanian. The second course was run in English and was attended by 20 staff from seven countries. These were five from the Philippines, four from Poland, four from Portugal, three from Vietnam, two from China, one from Thailand and one from Finland. The last course was attended by nine Lithuanian staff and was in their own language.
It is told that the main purpose of this training is to improve the staff’s knowledge of seafood handling and to improve their general skill levels and competence in fish processing. Each course lasts 40 hours and covers all of the main points relevant to their work, as set out by a training education committee.
Each of the courses is said to cover different subjects like fish as a marine resource, working practices and ergonomics, safety in the workplace, hygiene, staff and the pay system, co-operation in the workplace, self-motivation, fisheries and the environment, quality control in fish processing, products and markets and cross-cultural relations. Bergur Einarsson said that their experience indicates that staff are generally satisfied with the courses they have attended and that they believe the courses improve their understanding of the work they do.
