By Ian McConnell
SCOTLAND’s seafood sector has launched a campaign to help find candidates to fill vacancies in processing.
The “Sea A Bright Future” recruitment campaign is a collaboration between the UK’s Sea Fish Industry Authority public body (Seafish) and the Scottish Seafood Association industry body. It will “run across print media, digital and radio”.
More than 8,400 people are employed in the Scottish seafood processing sector. These jobs include roles in food processing and technology, human resources, marketing, commercial activities and engineering.
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Asked whether jobs had become more difficult to fill as a result of Brexit, Scottish Seafood Association chief executive Jimmy Buchan replied: “It is not a new problem – recruitment in the sector has been a long ongoing issue.
“The end of free movement may be a contributing factor in filling vacancies. However, the sector is taking a far more wide-reaching approach to invest in a diverse pool of suitable candidates that can have long-term careers choices.”
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He added: “The industry is looking towards new opportunities in global seafood markets as well as escalating sales and productivity in UK markets. It is also very wide-ranging in size which is inclusive of primary and secondary processing right across Scotland.”
Ryan Scatterty, of Thistle Seafoods, said: “We are always on the lookout for good engineers to join us and there are many transferable skills from across the oil and gas industry.”
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