Onshore Seafood Training | Seafish
Blog article
15 June 2021

The Future of Onshore Training

Lee Cooper of Seafish looks forward to the future of onshore seafood training and how we can build on the experiences of the last 15 months.

A shared journey

During the last 15 months we have adapted to the lockdown by making many of our training programmes available remotely. This has seen existing open learning materials repurposed into a free online delivered resource. It also includes new training courses that first saw the light of day on a computer screen via a Zoom call.

We’ve had the full support and cooperation of our joint awarding partner the Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland (REHIS), and of our partners in various Seafood Training Networks.  Our trainers and invigilators have been with us from the very first day of our journey, and without their combined support all of our efforts would be fruitless.

What does the future hold for onshore training in the UK seafood industry? 

We will continue to provide leadership in the development and delivery of the seafood-specific training needed by employers. We will continue to explore the opportunities offered by technology, while also returning to more traditional training methods where possible.

Over the coming year, we plan to review our experience of using remote delivery and video technology to see how we can offer a heightened experience for learners. 

For example, we will again offer face to face filleting training in those parts of the UK where we have expert trainers and facilities. We also expect to expand our remote knife skills training programmes so that anyone, anywhere can benefit from expert online coaching from a Seafish approved trainer.

And there are new training programmes to be developed. Programmes that can realistically only be delivered remotely, and which will have been carefully designed to use technology to its full advantage. 

We also want to look at how we can take a traditional group training course and blend in technology. This will enable remote trainers to combine the best of real-life and remote training, using technology to enhance traditional methods of delivery.

Here are a few examples of some of the new approaches we plan to explore:

  • Remote based trainers delivering a course to groups in several locations across the UK, at the same time.
  • Trainers delivering a face to face course to a group, as well as individuals elsewhere who have “dialled in” for the course
  • Trainers delivering training to groups in approved centres, while also supporting the post course practical activity using onsite cameras and onsite assistants
  • Expansion of online coaching to cover other practical skills-based activities.

There’s no doubt the months ahead will continue to be challenging for training delivery, but we hope to rise to those challenges and with the support of our many partners, continue to provide a valuable and valued training service to the seafood industry.

Online examinations

In addition to these new ways of working we will continue to expand our online seafood examination provision so that anyone needing an exam can access one.

Since lockdown started more than 4,000 Seafish online exams have been undertaken. More than 3,000 of these have been unsupervised practice exams taken by trainees, employees, apprentices and managers.

We have administered more than 800 invigilated exams lasting an estimated 450 hrs in the last 12 months.

With this level of interest from seafood workers there’s no doubt that remote and online training is firmly established as one of our key tools in our onshore training toolbox.

As we continue to subsidise many of our remote and online training programmes there's never been a better time to contact us about your training needs.  Please email the onshore training team or view the related content below.