40 new apprentices to join Babcock’s Rosyth site

Babcock International, the Aerospace and Defence company, is set to welcome an additional 40 apprentices to its Rosyth facility later this year.

The new recruits will support a variety of projects and business areas at Rosyth, from the Type 31 frigates to Advanced Manufacturing.

The breakdown of the roles ranges from Welders, Fabricators and Pipe Workers, to Electrical Fitters, Mechanical Fitters and CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Machinists.

Sean Donaldson, Managing Director of Babcock’s Rosyth site, who himself started at Rosyth as an Apprentice Electrical Fitter, said: “We are really excited to recruit the highest number of apprentices on-site since before 2014, and help the business to develop its next generation of talent.

“This was made possible due to the Type 31 frigate contract that Babcock was awarded last year. A significant number of our apprentices will support this important work to provide the UK Royal Navy with a fleet of five new general purpose frigates.”

Candidates shortlisted for the roles will undertake a thorough application process, including online testing and virtual interviews due to the current pandemic, with those selected becoming Babcock apprentices before the end of this year.

During their time at Babcock, apprentices will study at local colleges to obtain the fundamental qualifications for a variety of specialist technology and engineering disciplines.

Luke Day, 30, started as an Electrical Modern Apprentice for Babcock in September 2019, and is now in his second year of the four-year apprenticeship – with his first year being based at Fife College.

He said: “The apprenticeship experience has been great. The opportunities and benefits are fantastic, and the company looks after its employees really well. I’m looking forward to starting work at the Rosyth site shortly.

“I’d recommend a Babcock apprenticeship to anyone.”

The 40 new apprentices will be joined by 14 new graduates at Rosyth, who will start on-site in September.

Last year, Babcock welcomed 10 apprentices and 6 graduates to its Rosyth site, who are now settling into the business at the Fife facility. They were among 480 new apprentices and graduates to be welcomed to Babcock’s UK teams in 2019.