Parliamentarians and representatives from a range of seafood industries have met in Westminster to discuss issues affecting recruitment into seafood careers.
The event, held on 12 June, was the second public meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fisheries, a cross-party body chaired by MPs Alistair Carmichael and Melanie Onn and focused on issues affecting the UK fishing and seafood sector. The Careers on Land and at Sea seminar discussed the challenges facing processing, fishmongering and the supply chain, and how to attract and train new recruits in these industries.
Fishmonger Rob Wing, of Wing of St Mawes, stressed the challenge that many seafood businesses are facing. “The seafood industry struggles to recruit and retain employees; this is mostly due to the ‘manual’ nature of processing work,” he said.
CJ Jackson, principal and chief executive of Billingsgate Seafood School, reflected on the benefits of a career in seafood, and the role of building awareness through establishing lifelong habits. “Seafood consumption is still challenging in the UK, and if we can encourage everyone to eat more, and it becomes much more day to day, a career in seafood may be more appealing,” she said.
Despite the diversity of seafood careers on offer, young people entering the jobs market see the sector as unattractive employment. “The biggest challenge is awareness of the opportunities within the sector,” added Simon Dwyer, manager of Seafox Management Consultants.
More information can be found at the APPG website.
