Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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505. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason grant aid for course fees, under the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund announced July 2024, is only available to BIM training courses or equivalent courses, resulting in the same qualifications as those provided by BIM and not for academic courses like the Higher Diploma in Business in Fisheries and Aquaculture offered by South East Technological University. [27116/25]

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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506. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to consider providing 50% grant aid for student fees for the Higher Diploma in Business in Fisheries and Aquaculture offered by South East Technological University, as had been the case in the past; if he will designate a State body with responsibility for promoting third level education courses and degree programmes in the fisheries sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27117/25]

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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508. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine given the State has more than eight degree courses in agriculture, well-funded and endowed since 1926, whether it is now time to promote at least one degree course in fisheries in Ireland. [27119/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 505, 506 and 508 together.

Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) , Ireland's seafood development agency, already holds the remit for both delivering and promoting third level education in the fisheries sector, as such there is no requirement to designate a state agency for the purpose of promoting such courses.

BIM’s statutory remit focuses on industry training under the Fisheries Act. The courses delivered in BIM’s National Fisheries College of Ireland (NFCI) focus on practical, technical, and safety training. BIM is recognised as a provider of vocational and technical training, mainly at Levels 5 and 6, however BIM is not a recognised awarding body for degree courses as designated by QQI (Quality and Qualifications Ireland). The NFCI is not currently in a position to offer a degree (on the National Framework of Qualifications, NFQ) in fisheries due to a combination of legislative remit, academic validation, and institutional mandate.

In 2023 BIM published an ambitious skills strategy for the seafood sector, ’The Next Wave – BIM Skills Strategy for a Sustainable Seafood Sector, 2023-2028’. It sets out the following four strategic objectives:

• Attracting new entrants to the seafood sector
• Creating and promoting career paths in the seafood sector
• Delivering the right courses, to the right people, in the right way
• Building strategic partnerships for growth

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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507. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the actions taken in line with what the programme for Government calls "the promotion of marine education courses and degree programmes with a view to increasing enrolments"; if it is planned to make any promotional funding available to increase enrolments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27118/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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My Department supports the provision of essential training and skills development for those working, or intending to work, in the Irish commercial seafood sector in a number of ways. My Department funds two National Fisheries Colleges of Ireland operated by our national seafood development agency Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM), in addition to a range of other training and development supports provided by BIM such as mobile coastal training units, in-person workshops and online programmes.

BIM also administers a Seafood Training Scheme, funded by my Department under Ireland's Seafood Development Programme, which is co-funded by the Irish government and EU Commission under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). This scheme provides financial assistance to applicants wishing to pursue relevant courses, for example those provided by the Marine Survey Office (MSO). Full details in relation to this are available on www.bim.ie.

In 2020, the ISO 9001:2015 Certification was awarded to BIM’s National Fisheries College of Ireland for the delivery of maritime training and education. Attaining this internationally recognised standard for quality management systems, ensures that prospective students can be certain any training they receive across all of BIM’s training sites will be of a consistently high standard. These accredited seafood training programmes and workshops are available across all sectors of the Irish seafood industry.

In 2024, BIM delivered 1,757 training places across the seafood industry, through a wide range of training programmes, delivered in locations around Ireland.

In 2023 BIM published an ambitious skills strategy for the seafood sector, ’The Next Wave – BIM Skills Strategy for a Sustainable Seafood Sector, 2023-2028’. It sets out four strategic objectives that will deliver significant increases in both the number and skills of people attracted to and already working in the seafood sector:

• Attracting new entrants to the seafood sector
• Creating and promoting career paths in the seafood sector
• Delivering the right courses, to the right people, in the right way
• Building strategic partnerships for growth