– Through joint work between Industrial Fishermen of Biobío and unions of artisanal crew members of Coronel and Lota, a first version of the program was completed that seeks to contribute to the productive chain of both sectors and the stability of the sector as a whole.
Promoting the social sustainability of the fishing sector is the objective of the pilot initiative promoted by the Industrial Fishermen of Biobío through a pilot training program for artisanal crew members to work in the industrial fishing fleet. The project supported by Kopar Training covered four courses with a total of 150 hours aimed at 10 applicants who obtained the registration of deck crew members of special ships, after passing the Maritime Authority’s competency exam.
The program made it possible to provide skills in essential topics for work in the industrial fleet, such as maritime regulations, techniques for executing maneuvers and fishing operations, management of fishing systems on deck, first aid, personal survival, as well as fighting and fighting fires.
Along with this, the crew members had the opportunity to learn, through an observation trip on ships from the companies Camanchaca, Blumar and Orizon, how the industrial fleet operates, which provided them with a practical vision of the work, technology and control standards with which they work.
For the president of Pescadores Industriales del Biobío, Macarena Cepeda, the pilot project “represents an opportunity that will not only provide stability and new job skills to aspiring crew members from the artisanal sector, but will also provide qualified personnel that will contribute to the social sustainability of the operation of the fishing sector as a whole. We value the willingness and experience of working together with unions of artisanal crew members from Coronel and Lota, and we hope that it will generate greater opportunities to formally integrate into the industrial sector.”
“Today the fishing activity has 10 new general deck crew members of special vessels, a fundamental job that demands a lot of effort and sacrifice. They are the pioneers of a generational change and a positive synergy between the artisanal needs and the industrial sector. This work precisely confirms that collaborative relationship that exists between our sectors,” she added.
Labor formality
The Seremi of Labor, Sandra Quintana, was present at the ceremony, and she highlighted training as a fundamental element for labor formality. “It has to do with how we move workers from the informal world to the formal world. And the most important thing of all is that there is a look from Pescadores Industriales regarding what is happening with their own workers internally. You have to rotate, you have to have replacements and in that sense you have to train people, that is why training is relevant, because you have to use techniques, you have to have solid knowledge behind it and that can only be acquired through them,” she indicated.
Motivated by the opportunity to have new knowledge that would allow him to develop professionally, Emerson Higueras was one of the applicants who participated in the program. With his new certificate in hand, the crew member emphasized that “one can continue growing within industrial boats, not only can one stay with the artisanal fisherman card, there are more steps up. “Job stability was the most precious thing I looked at in this case.”
It should be noted that industrial fishing generates more than 6,500 formal jobs in the Biobío Region and it is expected that initiatives like this will continue to develop.
