Guidance

UK Seafood Fund: Skills and Training Scheme assessment criteria

Published 27 December 2021

The Skills and Training Scheme of the UK Seafood Fund will invest up to £10 million in creating new courses and improving the provision of existing courses for the UK seafood industry. It will be run by Defra, who will also make final decisions about funding.

You will be able to apply for this scheme from spring 2022.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding you must:

• be a provider of training that’s relevant to the seafood sector
• plan to spend all funding by 31 March 2024
• provide evidence of a match funding contribution (the percentage of match funding required will be set following early market engagement)

Bids will be scored against 4 criteria:

• value for money (making up 40% of the scoring)
• content of training proposal (30% of the scoring)
• deliverability (15% of the scoring)
• lasting benefits to industry (15% of the scoring)

Bids will be assessed against the criteria and given a combined score out of 100. Any scoring less than 50% in any individual criteria will be ruled out.

Bids that score 50% or more in all criteria will be ranked in order of their score to decide which ones are successful.

1. Value for money (40%)

To score highly, bids should demonstrate:

• a statement of the value of funds requested
• a breakdown of how and when funds will be spent
• anticipated financial and non-financial benefits
• details of the method used to identify training that delivers best value for money, showing consideration for alternative funding options and the reasons for choosing the Skills and Training Scheme

2. Content of training proposal (30%)

To score highly, bidders must demonstrate how projects do one of the following:

• provide new UK-wide courses for existing workers or new entrants to the seafood industry to address skills gaps, including for new entrants currently underrepresented in the seafood sector
• improve the delivery, content or success of existing seafood industry courses

New training courses

Training courses must not duplicate existing courses unless they are to be delivered in an area of the UK where that course was not previously available.

New courses could include:

• essential skills such as literacy, numeracy and IT specifically for the seafood industry
• safety and navigation at sea
• business and financial management
• skills in fisheries management, such as understanding sustainability, the application of science and evidence, and leadership development

Improve the delivery of existing courses

Improving the delivery, content or success of courses could include:

• securing or increasing levels of accreditation
• increasing the number or diversity of participants or widening the scope of existing courses
• enhancing course content in line with emerging priorities, legislation or regulatory requirements
• employing more staff to meet growing course demand (for example administrative or teaching professionals)
• providing mentors to increase course completion and success rates for candidates
• providing infrastructure or equipment such as training centres or IT equipment

All bids must demonstrate the ability to engage with the seafood industry and to support and develop local communities.

Prospective training partners will offer courses that meet industry standards. They will share the goal to:

• attract new customers
• improve relationships between coastal communities and nearby towns or city centres
• create access to new markets with a newly skilled workforce

All bids must evidence a strategy for raising awareness and securing industry uptake for attendance, participation or new entrant placements, for example through promotion and advertising.

The strategy for uptake must consider potential for increasing diversity in the industry. It must encourage new entrants from currently underrepresented demographics.

Training partners will show support for strengthening the UK through the delivery of a UK-wide programme, or will be able to work with an agency or public body to ensure training is coordinated across the UK.

3. Deliverability (15%)

To score highly, bids will demonstrate the project has a high deliverability with evidence to support a strong case for the viability of the project.

High deliverability means there is a likelihood of success, based on evidence supplied with the bid. It will take into account the applicant’s track record and knowledge of the industry.

Bids must demonstrate that they and all delivery partners have the skills, experience, and capacity to deliver the project. Partnerships with local providers, academic or other accreditation bodies will be defined.

Bids will:

• include a plan for the management and delivery of the project with milestones, achievable targets, and measurable benefits
• demonstrate the flexibility to offer training at times that are suitable for fishers and the industry, to maximise participation
• demonstrate clear understanding of risks to delivery, and a strategy for managing and mitigating these risks

4. Lasting benefits to industry (15%)

Bids will detail how the skills and training support will provide lasting benefits to industry, beyond the end of the project, through a focus on:

• lifelong learning – qualification and accreditation
• training for local partners to ensure continued access to the courses and material for future delivery
• retention of skills within the sector
• opportunities and pathways for progression or diversification
• entry route to further skills and training development
• employment within the industry
• diversification of the workforce through the inclusion of new entrants protected by the Equality Act 2010 (including age, disability, gender reassignment, race, sex)

It will be a requirement for any successful bids to provide an internal post-project evaluation of the success of their training programmes, including data on levels of uptake, completion and experience of the course.