Members of the Processors Training Advisory Group visit Billingsgate Seafood Market November 2007

FISHupdate - December 2007

 

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Fish Frying Skills and Customer Service Skills - more information.

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In this month’s Training Talk we have an update on the Seafood Training Academy, a profile on the North West Seafood Training Centre, a look at two work-based training programmes for fish friers and news about the new Fish Frying Gallery on the Seafood Training Academy website

Seafood Training Academy.
Discussions have taken place with Grimsby Institute of Further and Higher Education (which also holds Seafood Training Academy status) to join together under a single Seafood Training Academy structure. All partners agree that this will add strength to our operations and enable us to provide an improved service and joined up approach on training delivery to benefit seafood businesses. We aim to formalise and launch this new arrangement early in the New Year.


Fish filleting and fishmongering skills are two of the training programmes available from the SeafoodNorth West Training Centre in Fleetwood.

As part of Seafood North West, the Training Centre has been set up primarily to address the shortage of skilled fish filleters in the region. The Training Centre also offers courses for the complete beginner, trainee or full time chefs or existing filleters or mongers wanting to up-skill.


Centre Manager Arthur Brecknell said: "Our primary aim is to train people to work in fish processing and fishmongering, but we know from the experience of colleagues in the Academy that the potential is much wider. Our training services can easily involve supermarket staff, specialist fishmongers, kitchen staff and fish friers on different courses. We can deliver hands-on skills training as well as nationally recognised food safety and health and safety training."


Arthur also sees the Centre as part of a total fish experience at Fleetwood, encouraging visiting parties of schoolchildren to develop a taste for seafood – ensuring a future market for the product.


The Centre is one of the Seafood Training Academy partners and has a dedicated training facility within the fish market on Fleetwood Docks. The Centre was established jointly by the North West Group Training Association and Seafood Northwest.

Fish frying skills and customer service skills are two training programmes developed by Richard Wardell of Seafish and available through a nationwide network of trainers and assessors. The Frying Skills programme is supported by a workbook and DVD. The Customer Service programme is also supported by a workbook. Both programmes also cover hygiene and health and safety.


Following a period for self study, there is a short examination and a workplace practical assessment carried out by a local assessor. The programmes have been in place for just over a year and are proving very popular.
Rick Horabin, owner of award-winning fish and chip shop Seniors, in Blackpool, is enthusiastic about the programme, as several of his staff have completed both programmes. He commented “their futures are in the fish and chip industry and their input at Seniors has been tremendous,”.  For more information contact Richard Wardell at Training@Seafish.co.uk


Opening Soon. A new gallery is opening on the Seafood Training Academy website. Galleries on the website are major areas of learning content and include seafood manufacturing and a guide to seafood. The new Frying Skills gallery will contain a great deal of free content on fish and chip frying operations including: a guide to purchasing preparing and storing fish; batter preparation; frying fish; frying chips; as well as more general frying information.

The Gallery is an ideal introduction to anyone wanting to develop their skills further or who simply has a passing interest. With links to video content on frying this is a major new addition to the Academy website.
Billingsgate visit.

The Seafood Processors’ Training Advisory Group recently held a meeting at Billingsgate Market in London.Prior to the meeting members were given an extensive tour of Billingsgate Fish Market under the expert guidance of Chris Leftwich and Barry O’Toole of the Fishmongers’ Company. The variety of fish and shellfish available at the market is astonishing. During the meeting the Advisory Group discussed the new Advanced Seafood Quality Assessment training programme being delivered in February by Seafish and also a new Technical Guide on Seafood Smoking that Seafish hopes to develop in 2008.