Marine Harvest to create 40 jobs
Marine Harvest will work with Job Centre Plus to fund and deliver pre-employment fish farm training to fill over 40 vacancies in the Western Isles once sites have been confirmed.
Under the government led initiative, Local Employment Partnership, Job Centre Plus will help unemployed residents within the local community gain the necessary skills to apply for these jobs.
Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said:"I welcome the partnership between Marine Harvest and Job Centre Plus and would urge more companies to consider this approach to keep local jobs local.
"She also commented on the annual production survey of fish farms in Scotland for 2008, published last week:
"I'm encouraged to see the fish farm production survey showing increased employment and diversification.
"While we can be satisfied in the strong, robust figures of 2008, we must not become complacent in safeguarding this valuable industry. Like all sectors, difficult times lie ahead, but through initiatives such as our European Fisheries Fund and Ministerial Group on Aquaculture, I can confidently say that this government is dedicated to working with the industry to ensure its mounting success."
The total level of European Fisheries Fund (EFF) investment for 2009 is over £25 million. The money is used to strengthen Scotland's processing sector, secure jobs in remote areas, trial new technologies, improve the efficiency of the fishing industry, and enhance the nation's reputation as a land of food and drink.
The EFF programme runs between 2007 and 2013, and is targeted to assist with capital investment in the aquaculture, fishing and fish processing industries. The Scottish Government has been allocated approximately €55m over the lifetime of the programme (equating to approximately £50m, at current exchange rates).
