Five apprentices have started work at Devon’s Appledore shipyard - a year after it was bought by Harland & Wolff.
The Belfast-headquartered company held its first Apprenticeship Induction Day at the North Devon yard on September 8, 2021, introducing the new recruits to the facilities.
They were able to tour the site and learn more about Harland & Wolff’s heritage and significance within national and international maritime sectors.
The apprenticeship scheme, which will see a new intake each year from now on, is run in partnership with Barnstaple’s Petroc College and will see apprentices range from 16 to 38 years old, with a mix of genders.
Harland & Wolff apprenticeships are offered in three areas: trade, (welders, pipefitters, electricians, riggers, fabricators), technical, (engineers, naval architecture) and business support (sales, administration).
Tom Hart, general manager at Harland & Wolff (Appledore), said: “We are delighted to welcome our new apprentices to both our Appledore site and to the Harland & Wolff Group - they are the future of this shipyard which is steeped in rich history.
“We are excited to teach and develop them - passing on British shipbuilding skills to the next generation. As we develop and grow as a business, we now look forward to welcoming apprentices year on year which will further enrich not only the yard but both local and national communities.”
Harland & Wolff, which has 160 years of maritime and offshore engineering pedigree, is a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five markets: commercial, cruise and ferry, defence, oil & gas and renewables and six services: technical services, fabrication and construction, decommissioning, repair and maintenance, in-service support and conversion.
Its Belfast yard is one of Europe’s largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, two of Europe’s largest drydocks, ample quayside and vast fabrication halls.
The Appledore shipyard was bought by InfraStrata Plc, owner of Harland and Wolff, for £7million in August 2020.
As a result of the acquisition,Harland & Wolff has been able to capitalise on opportunities at both ends of the ship-repair and shipbuilding markets where there will be significant demand.
In February 2021, the company acquired the assets of two Scottish based yards along the east and west coasts. Now known as Harland & Wolff (Methil) and Harland & Wolff (Arnish), these facilities will focus on fabrication work within the renewable, oil and gas and defence sectors.
Harland & Wolff is a wholly-owned subsidiary of InfraStrata, a London Stock Exchange-listed firm focused on strategic infrastructure projects and physical asset life-cycle management. In addition to Harland & Wolff, it owns the Islandmagee gas storage project, which is expected to provide 25% of the UK’s natural gas storage capacity and to benefit the Northern Irish economy as a whole when completed.
