Engineering giant Babcock International Group Plc is recruiting more that 100 apprentices in Plymouth as it continues with important defence work throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
The aerospace and defence company, which operates Devonport Dockyard, is supporting National Apprenticeship Week 2021 and is seeking candidates for its annual intake of new blood.
In 2020 the number of apprentices recruited at Devonport doubled, with 145 starting their careers and fulfilling a variety of roles, including welding, electrical, mechanical and marine pipe fitting; and fabricating. Similar numbers are being sought for this year.
The company is working on a £600million project to refit and extend the life of Britain’s fleet of Type 23 frigates with HMS St Albans and HMS Iron Duke in mid-refit and upgrade.
Themed around “build the future”, the Government apprenticeship week programme aims to focus on how employers train, retain and achieve through apprenticeships. Now in its 14th year, National Apprenticeship Week is celebrated by hundreds of companies across the country.
Babcock is proud to continue investing in its wide range of long established, award winning apprenticeship programmes and recruitment is now open for the next cohort of apprentices to start with the company at its Devonport Dockyard in September 2021.
The company has been sharing inspiring apprenticeship stories on social media, and building on the themes of “train, retain and achieve” by highlighting how its trainees bring positive benefits to its business.
Katie Elliott, a mechanical engineering apprentice, grew up with a keen interest in mechanics, influenced by family members. She is enjoying her apprenticeship and said: “My dad did his apprenticeship many moons ago in the dockyard and this ultimately helped me make my decision to do an apprenticeship with Babcock; allowing me to earn whilst I learn with the company.
“It wasn’t a hard choice for me to go into the mechanical trade as I’ve always had a passion for mechanics and enjoyed getting my hands dirty. From a young age I grew up with my dad who always had projects with cars and bikes on the go and he encouraged me to go outside and help him.
“My grandad was also a car and bike mechanic by trade, so even as a kid my grandad would tell me stories and explain how things work. It’s great learning on the job and I would recommend an apprenticeship to anyone.”
Paul Foster, managing director at Devonport Royal Dockyard is pleased Babcock is playing such an active role in National Apprenticeship Week.
He said: “It is fantastic that our apprentices have such a sense of pride when going about their work. Our business has a great legacy and a really exciting future. There has never been a better time to join with so much investment in the site and a wide range of apprenticeships on offer. I strongly encourage anyone exploring their future career options to check out the numerous opportunities available with Babcock at Devonport.
