Marine Skills & Resource Centre opens in Cornwall

Newlyn Pier & Harbour Commissioners’ (NP&HC) Marine Skills & Resource Centre (MS&RC) has opened in the heart of the historic port in the UK. The new centre will focus on the development of maritime expertise in Cornwall and aims to futureproof the Cornish marine and fishing sector by recruiting, training and retaining local people.

Seafood Cornwall Training will deliver a comprehensive range of qualifications and courses at the centre for new fishermen and experienced seafarers, as well as training to commercial crews and employees in the maritime industry.

Multi-fucntional centre to foster innovation

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), including the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), will also occupy the MS&RC, providing immediate access to fisheries’ regulators and marine scientists.

The objective is to provide a stimulus for collaboration between organisations and partners in the fishing and wider marine industries to foster innovation, develop supply chains, attract further investment and benefit communities.            

The £2.1 million new centre received £1.75 million from the UK Government’s Town Deals Programme, the aim of which is to deliver long-term economic growth and productivity.

Penzance Town Deal Board, in partnership with Cornwall Council, successfully bid for a Town Deal worth £21.5 million to support a range of projects that will contribute to the regeneration of Penzance and Newlyn.

“From sea survival, firefighting, first aid and safety to engineering, watchkeeping, navigation and radio operation, we are passionate about providing skills and resources to support the sector from this modern, purpose-built space,” explains Seafood Cornwall training manager, Clare Leverton. “We are also determined to minimise personal risk in a profession that is defined by severe weather, unpredictable oceans, long shifts and heavy machinery, and help our fishing community to remain safe.”

Landmark project forms part of Newlyn Harbour’s strategic vision

“It is a proud moment for us to have delivered the MS&RC, which is just one of the landmark projects that forms part of our strategic vision to expand Newlyn Harbour for the future fishing industry, provide more space for larger, modern fishing boats as well as storage on an industrial scale, and then diversify and improve the Port for a broader range of operations,” says chair of NP&HC, Paul Durkin. “We exist to support Cornwall’s fishing and maritime industries, and this new centre will enable local people to achieve essential qualifications without leaving the harbour.”

The new facility for Newlyn is another step towards the port’s regeneration and Newlyn’s Pier & Harbour Commissioners are to be congratulated on delivering this important amenity as part of their strategic vision, believes Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for economic regeneration and investment, Cllr Tim Dwelly. “In an increasingly challenging financial and political landscape, it is only by working together that we can maximise the impact of available funding, support local people by helping them to upskill, and stimulate local, economic growth.”