Defra Opens UK Seafood Fund: Skills and Training Scheme
Funding is available for UK based providers of training relevant to the seafood sector.
The UK Seafood Fund: Skills and Training Scheme will provide a one-off fund to improve training in the seafood industry, including the catching, processing and aquaculture sectors.
The scheme aims to:
- Attract new entrants and encourage people to stay in the industry.
- Fill skills and training gaps in the existing workforce.
- Improve employment opportunities in coastal communities.
- Improve health, social and environmental outcomes for coastal communities.
There is up to £10 million available to fund training projects for sector workers. This money will be split to allocate:
- Up to £5 million for training courses and specialist equipment (open to applications now).
- Up to £5 million for modernising and building training centres (applications open in late autumn 2022).
Each successful applicant will be awarded between £10,000 and £250,000 to provide new courses where there are skills gaps, and improve existing courses. Bids should offer training for existing or new seafood industry workers, or both.
Organisations that can provide training to people working in the UK seafood industry may apply, including public bodies (trust ports, local authority ports and public charities), small to medium-sized enterprises, fishermen’s associations, private trusts, foundations, social enterprises, trade associations, and officially recognised producer organisations.
The deadline for applications to access funding for training courses and specialist equipment is 12 October 2022 (12:00 BST).
(This report was the subject of a GRANTfinder Newsflash.)
