Seafish and ESTC are working together to pilot Fish and Shellfish apprenticeship programmes at two levels. Level 2 (intermediate) and Level 3 (advanced) are both suitable for processers, fishmongers and food service businesses, covering around 80,000 employees in the UK.
To date, many of the apprenticeships have been taken up by young people looking to further their career opportunities within the industry. In addition, several fishing business, from processers to fryers, have enrolled staff onto the courses. Investing in their staff this way not only shows a commitment to the individual employee but helps the business progress and offer an improved service to their customers.
The Pride of Bridlington, a fish and chip shop, is already seeing the benefit of enrolling in Seafood Training Academy Apprenticeships. Owners, Veronica Pugh and Trevor Newbould, have employed a young apprentice and enrolled several members of their team on training courses. The boost in skill-set has allowed the business to flourish having achieved its goal of providing restaurant quality food at takeaway prices.
Veronica Pugh, co-owner of Pride of Bridlington, added: “We are thrilled that members of our team have had the opportunity to further their skills, knowledge and qualifications. It can only benefit them, our business and of course our customers.”
Lee Cooper, of Seafish and the Seafood Training Academy said: “We have only been working with ESTC for a short period and we are delighted with the enrolment success to-date. ESTC has been a pleasure to work with. The team is extremely passionate and knowledgeable in their approach to promoting the apprenticeships – they know what the fishing industry wants from a training provider and they are delivering.
“The Academy’s collaboration with ESTC will continue and we hope to build on the early success by continuing to enrol people across fishing industry sectors throughout the country.”
For more information on Fish and Shellfish Apprenticeships please visit www.seafoodacademy.org.
