Fishermen Jason Rudd and James Abbot are among the first in the country to complete a professional training programme.

The two men, who operate out of Newhaven, have been presented with awards by the Southern Fish Industry Training Association (SFITA).

Jason, a skipper, and James, a crewman, were given their awards by Alan Sandham, SFITA regional training co-ordinator.

Mr Sandham said: "Jason is the first skipper in the south to qualify for a Class Two deck officer certificate through the NVQ route while, at 21, James is one of the youngest fishermen to qualify for his inshore area skipper's certificate."

Both qualified for their licences while taking part in a training programme began in 1998 by SFITA and funded by the European Social Fund, with assistance from Sussex Enterprise and Seafish Training. They attended college courses at the National Sea Training Centre and technology courses at the SFITA flume tank in Hull.

Other parts of the course were held at Newhaven, normally on bad weather days when the fishing boats were unable to leave the harbour.

The project was conducted as part of a European initiative, aimed at supporting fishing communities.

So far, SFITA has completed two training projects, the first in Kent and the most recent in Sussex, resulting in over 50 skippers of mostly under 12-metre fishing vessels obtaining a professional qualification.

Mr Sandham said: "Commercial sea fishing is now recognised as one of the most dangerous occupations. Our aim is to create a safer workforce through professional training."