Babcock builds for Plymouth’s defence future with new skills centre and logistics hub

Babcock has solidified its commitment to growth in the South West with the opening of a new skills hub at Devonport Dockyard and breaking ground on a huge logistics hub just outside Plymouth.

Officially opened on 23 October by Luke Pollard, Minister of State for Defence Readiness and Industry and MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, the Skills Centre will support 1,500 technical trainees and apprentices a year and is housed in a converted factory on the Devonport site.

On the other side of Plymouth, around 10 miles to the east, the company has picked the outskirts of the new town of Sherford for a major logistics hub. Babcock says the 18.8-acre site will enable it to consolidate more than 30 logistics locations.

The groundbreaking drew cross-party support, with Labour MPs Luke Pollard and Fred Thomas joined by Conservative MP Rebecca Smith and Liberal Democrat leader of South Hams District Council, Dan Thomas.

Pollard also got an early look at developments at the former House of Fraser building in Plymouth city centre, which is being transformed into the company’s new Capability Centre for up to 2,000 workers.

Babcock group chief executive Harry Holt described the projects as “three separate milestones, but all of which tell one story: a story of investment in national security, a story of investment in skills, in facilities, in infrastructure here in Plymouth, and a story of investment in reindustrialisation and economic regeneration.”

Babcock Skills Centre to build the workforce of the future

The new Skills Centre occupies one of the dockyard’s many historic buildings, but inside it has been transformed into a modern, functional workplace.

A row of gleaming workbenches runs down one side, with an enviable assortment of tools and supplies available to the trainees.

On either side of the space, specialist cubicles have been built as classrooms, workspaces, and to accommodate larger pieces of machinery.

At the end of the building hangs an artist’s impression of the finished space, with plans to add an upstairs mezzanine to accommodate more workstations. Future developments also include adding simulated submarine compartments for practical training.

Supporting up to 1,500 people with 4,000 training hours annually, the centre can accommodate 24 trainees at a time across 48 different technical competencies. While a large part of the building’s purpose is to accommodate more apprentices, it will also be used for existing employees to upskill and refresh their knowledge.

Trainers in the building have typically come from industry, with many from Babcock’s own skilled workforce. One, who had worked on frigates for over ten years before transitioning to the Babcock Skills Academy, noted the importance of practical experience when nurturing the talent of the future.

“This gives them the engineering standards we need from them to work in our environment, because it’s different from wiring a plug,” he said. “There is definitely an upskill.”

As for job prospects for the apprentices, nothing is guaranteed. As one trainer noted, “They need to pass their apprenticeship, and provided they cover all aspects, and if they’ve got the right behaviour and the right mentality, then they’ll get given a job.”

Having apprentices working alongside skilled hands is seen as essential to building future capabilities. Speaking to Advance, chief executive Harry Holt added,

“We will have our own apprentices come through here for specific technical training, and we’ve deliberately placed this facility in the dockyard to keep it really, really close to our programs. We have this motto of ‘train as we work’, so it’s important to make sure that our trainees are as close as possible to the real practitioners of the work that they’re learning about.”

The facility forms part of Babcock’s wider Skills Academy, which brings together training initiatives and partnerships, including work with City College Plymouth and the University of Plymouth.

Babcock breaks ground on new logistics hub at Sherford

Across town, to the east of Plymouth, the newly established industrial zone on the outskirts of the new town of Sherford will be home to a giant logistics hub for Babcock.

Located within the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport, the planned 30,000 square metre facility will bring together Babcock’s presently distributed logistics locations. Crucially, it will allow for space to be released at Devonport; space which is much needed as the dockyard prepares for increased submarine maintenance work.

The hub will support increased throughput, including work on Astute-class submarines and preparations for the future Dreadnought class. At the ceremony, Babcock said it was targeting completion and operation by 2030.

“This is not just about building a big warehouse,” Pollard said. “This is about how we transform Devonport to make it faster, more efficient, and more productive at refitting the submarines and getting them to sea.”

Former House of Fraser building becomes Babcock Capability Centre

Pollard’s visit concluded with a sneak peek at the former House of Fraser building in Plymouth city centre, which Babcock is redeveloping as its Capability Centre.

The building will accommodate around 2,000 colleagues, not only supporting Babcock’s growing operations but also bringing a substantial workforce into the struggling city centre.

“Here in the old House of Fraser building at the heart of Plymouth city centre, this old building needs a new lease of life, and that’s what Babcock are doing here,” Pollard said in a video recorded during the visit. “This is going to be such a key hub will only mean good things for the city centre. I’m confident of that.”

Throughout the visit, Pollard’s excitement and enthusiasm for the projects were plain to see. Speaking at the Skills Centre, he reiterated the £3 billion for dockyard upgrades as part of Project Royal Oak, but also shared his personal pride in the developments.

“It is really good, both as Devonport’s MP and as Defence Minister, to be able to say that Devonport has a bright future ahead of it, no question marks, no caveats,” he said. “There is a bright future ahead for our naval base and our dockyard here, and we’re going to deliver that by making sure that we invest in our people as well as investing in our equipment.”