The MCG Redundancy and Retraining Bursary Fund will finally close on Friday 16 September, following discussions by funders, the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB), Trinity House and the Nautilus Slater Fund. The fund, which provides up to £500 for training and refresher courses to UK-based seafarers who have lost work due to Covid-19, was due to close at the end of March but was extended to meet demand from ex-P&O ferry staff.
Speaking on behalf of the funders, Commander Graham Hockley LVO RN, Chairman of MCG, said:
“The MCG Redundancy and Retraining Fund was set up in November 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic when the landscape looked very different. Since then, we have helped 100 seafarers with funding for training to enable them to stay in the industry. In total we’ve awarded over £45k to seafarers from all parts of the industry – from ratings to officers, deck hands to engineers – and it’s been a very worthwhile investment. But demand for the fund has slowed down considerably in the past few weeks and we believe that now is the time to close.”
The fund, which is administered by the Marine Society on behalf of MCG, will remain open until Friday 16th September.
Commander Hockley added:
“We want to make sure that any UK-based seafarer who might be eligible still applies for help. So, if you or anyone you know has lost work due to Covid and might benefit from help with training costs to stay in maritime, we want to hear from you. The fund is still open and will remain open until the very last moment.”
