We recognise and reward top talent and outstanding performance, with a focus on promoting from within. When you do a great job, you will be rewarded.
Start your career with us by completing an apprenticeship in Deep Sea Fishing or Seafood Processing.
Apprenticeships allow you to earn money in the workforce while also studying in the same area to develop and improve your skills.
Apprenticeships or traineeships on offer include the New Zealand Certificate Seafood Processing (L3) with strands in Fish and Fish Products, Live Holding, Cleaning and Sanitation, Seafood Logistics or New Zealand Certificate in Fishing Vessel Crewing (Level 3) and marine engineering traineeships for our sea-going crew. Apprenticeships onshore have different specialist fields including Prep-End, Pack End, Loft, Logistics and Leadership.
The apprenticeship at level 3 or 4, spanning over 20 months, allows on-the-job training for a lifelong career. Sealord can help you determine which area will be best to specialise in, dependent on where you are located. An apprenticeship gives you a qualification and enhanced skills for your day-to-day tasks – a great way to kick-start your career in the seafood industry.
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For Owen Davies (OJ), learning isn’t hard, but sitting still in a classroom isn’t his preferred way to study.
That’s why he’s enjoying the flexibility of studying for his Mate Unlimited qualification (First Mate) through Skipper Training, where he can work at his own pace and online.
OJ is Second Mate/Bosun on the Thomas Harrison and says studying with Skipper Training means he can study at home with online resources, videos, and forums. There is also the ability to catch up with tutors whenever he needs extra help, including coming into the Skipper Training base on Vickerman St in Nelson. The course allows him to work at his own pace. “I’m enjoying this way of study. I can work from home and don’t have to go to school every day, but help is there if and when I need it.”
The first part of the qualification was revision, which worked well as he was “the underdog” on the course. Other participants hold a Second Mate’s (Mate Limited) ticket.
He has particularly appreciated getting help with his maths to bring him up to speed with the others and says having Master Mariner Valentino as a tutor is amazing given his vast maritime knowledge.
OJ started the course in early 2026 and will finish when work and family life allows. ‘Mate Unlimited’ is typically an eight‑month course, but with the arrival of his first child in July and the Hoki season ahead, he will have to park the studies for some of this year. “My plan of attack is to get as much as I can done now before hoki starts and when Hoki starts, my priority will be solely on the boat, flat out”.
OJ says the Skipper Training system works particularly well for fishers who live out of town. Studying at other providers would mean having to leave their families and move to where the provider was based for the duration of the course. They would also not be able to work.
He says being able to work the Hoki season is critical, as his family relies on that income. “This whole opportunity with Skipper Training is like a weight off my shoulders—not having to stress about finances”.
“There are so many positives. I’m able to work from home or spend time at Skipper Training when needed to help me get up to par with the course.”
OJ has been with Sealord for 11 years and is grateful for the chances to gain different experiences and for the places fishing has taken him – the opportunities are endless.
The qualification OJ will gain is officially called the NZ Diploma in Fishing Vessel Operations (Level 6). This is needed to apply for a Mate Unlimited Ticket with Maritime New Zealand, in combination with sea time and other courses.
Sealord Operations General Manager Rui Ventura says “Sealord supports the development of its fishers, and in return fishers are bonded to Sealord for a period”.
Skipper Training’s owner, Milo Coldren, started the business seven years ago and has been developing courses in nautical and marine engineering. It ran its first Mate Limited course two years ago, and Mate Unlimited this year. The business moved into new Vickerman Street premises last year. The school enables students to work at different levels and get support from tutors whenever they like; digitally, on the phone, or in person.
Feedback from students has been fantastic, and the team has responded to industry feedback that fishers need more flexibility and more options for when courses are run. We try to make learning as flexible and practical as we can. Most students are exceptional mariners and hands on learners who prefer to learn that way rather than sitting and looking at PowerPoints.
Milo was a tutor at another school when he met Joel Leask, a dyslexic fisherman from Riverton. Joel wasn’t able to complete the course, even though he had more experience than most.
Milo says Skipper Training NZ was born from this experience and is focussed on building confidence in mariners.
“Ten years later, Joel came to us and completed the course. He no longer has to pay another Skipper to be on his boat,” Milo says.
