RETRAINING FOR SEAFARERS

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: july/august 2021 :: RMTnews 22 Way back in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic MCG was approached by RMT assistant national secretary Mark Carden, a long-time supporter of the maritime welfare charities. He was worried about potential redundancies and seafarers losing work because of Covid-19. He wanted to know what we could do. His idea was that help with the cost of training or upskilling would enable seafarers who’d lost their jobs to stay in the industry – and that would be good news for everyone. MCG was set up in 2003 to foster collaboration between maritime charity funders, to share information and encourage best practice. Founding members Trinity House and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) responded straight away with a promise of £10,000 each and we had the support of the Marine Society to administer the fund. That was soon followed by £10,000 from the Nautilus International Slater Fund and a further £10k from Trinity House, bringing the total to £40,000. Launched at the end of last year, in the first six months we awarded almost £23,000 to 48 applicants. So far, less than a third of applications have been from ratings, most applicants are working offshore or deep sea, and they are almost exclusively male. So we want to see more applications from ratings, women and ferry crew, which is why we’re talking to you now. With changes to the furlough scheme on the horizon more jobs could be at risk, so now more than ever we need to get the message out. WHO’S ELIGIBLE? The fund is aimed at UK-based Merchant Navy seafarers who have been made redundant or lost work due to Covid-19. A maximum of £500 is available to fund training that will help them secure a new job in the RETRAINING FOR SEAFARERS Maritime Charities Group (MCG) manager Ben Gibbons talks about the Redundancy and Retraining Bursary Fund and calls for more applications from ratings, women and ferry crew.