Practical training opens the door to careers at sea For young people wanting to enter the New Zealand ishing industry, then the Westport Deep Sea Fishing School is the place to go. On o er are NZQA approved, industry-created pre-employment programmes designed to deliver the practical skills needed to con idently work on a ishing vessel. Peter Maich and his team run their highly successful residential programme out of Westport to prepare students for full-time employment on deep sea and inshore ishing vessels. Peter, a former commercial isher, has been at the helm of the school for 20 years and works very closely with New Zealand’s leading seafood companies to ensure training delivers on what the industry needs. The school operates a strict alcohol and drug free policy and the hostel – run like a ship at sea - plays an important part of training. Typically, pre-employment training like the Level 2 Primary ITO seafood processing certi icate is completed over ive to six weeks. “Over that time, we like to get them working well together as a group as well as learning everything they need to go onto factory vessels like those run by Sanford, Sealord and Talley’s,” says Peter. Most students who complete the training have little di iculty securing a placement into full-time work. Some 83% of their students are placed into full-time employment in any given year. “We’d love to see more people coming through. It is a great industry and you can start on anywhere between $45,000 and $55,000 depending on the company and the number of trips you do. It’s pretty good money for an entry level. After two or three years, you could be earning $90,000 as an A grade ish packer. If you have a good attitude and reasonable itness, there’s no reason why you would not succeed. “It is an equal opportunity industry too so there are no barriers. Many supervisors and factory managers are female; their hard work has enabled them to migrate to senior positions. There are no costs at sea so people ind they can put aside money aside towards a house. It’s a good start in life.” Historically, the bulk of the school’s new entrants have come via the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) but Peter says the Covid environment has also sparked broader interest for industry training from New Zealanders. Some come seeking a career change while others turn to the school for training to help support new ventures such as running a charter boat. “Among our applicants are farmers, primary industry New Zealanders and even a lawyer. They don’t necessarily want to apply to go ishing. For example, they may have a private boat and want to get their skipper’s ticket.” People from all over the country train at the school, from Kaitaia to Stewart Island. Last year, the school put around 100 people into the industry. “We could have put 200 or 300 in – there is always strong industry demand.” Most of the training is fees free with scholarships also available to help cover course costs where needed. 2022 Maritime Training • SCO/SRL/ADH-F/STCW Basic NEW OFFERING OF MEC5 MEC6/MRROC/MGROC • Hands on program, including training vessels • Training in Westport • Accomodation available • All programs on demand, no minimum numbers • Start when it suits you Peter 027 450 7585 peter@deepsea.co.nz www.deepsea.co.nz for more details
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=