Funding to help young and unemployed Hull people 'set sail on a career at sea'

A programme offering young and unemployed people in Hull training for maritime careers is set to continue after extra funding was secured.

The new £84,000 grant means 40 more people will be able to join the Maritime Futures programme which trains them for jobs in the fishing industry and other seafaring careers. The programme, which began in 2021, has seen 102 local people complete one of 10 courses with three quarters getting a job in the maritime industry within six months.

Hull City Council Hull Maritime Programme Director Gillian Osgerby said the continuation of the training would allow more young people to set sail on a career at sea. Training which is accredited and approved by industry body Seafish is set to continue until the end of March next year thanks to the funding.

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Courses include insights from former trawlermen about working in the industry and vocational training. Training also includes teaching participants how to calculate the shares of a fishing catch and navigational skills.

The council has put a contract to provide the training out to tender. Training from 2021 to 2024 was put on at a cost of £155,000 but estimates for costs for training someone have since been revised.

The new funding has meant four more courses will be put on and the first will start in the summer. The programme aims to make Hull's maritime history present and relevant to young people and to boost the local economy by aiding the maritime industry, alongside the training.

The new funding has come from Trinity House London and the Government's Skills for Life initiative. The training programme falls under the Hull: Yorkshire's Maritime City project, a £30.3m scheme backed in part by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Council Hull Maritime Director Ms Osgerby said Maritime Futures was one of the success stories of that project. The director said: "Hull Maritime has provided a vast array of opportunities to enable residents improve skills, build confidence and gain qualifications.

"Maritime Futures is one of them. We are delighted to have secured additional funding from Trinity House London and Hull City Council’s Adult Training to enable more young people achieve their goals and set sail on a career at sea."