Navantia UK welcomes 73 new apprentices

Image courtesy Navantia UK 

The new cohort will gain hands-on experience in disciplines including welding, fabrication, and pipe fitting while working towards nationally recognised qualifications. Many of the apprentices will play a key role in supporting the delivery of the Fleet Solid Support (FSS) programme for the Royal Navy, a project revitalising UK shipbuilding and boosting sovereign capability.

The new intake forms part of Navantia UK’s growing commitment to training and skills development, with 222 apprentices across its UK operations representing 20% of Navantia UK’s total workforce. Twenty-six have now completed their apprenticeships and are in full-time employment. Navantia UK has also committed to creating a further 500 apprenticeships in the coming years, ensuring a sustained pipeline of skilled talent across its operations.

Navantia UK’s commitment to training and knowledge transfer directly supports the UK Government’s Defence Industrial Strategy, which seeks to make defence an engine for growth by tackling barriers to investment, building high-tech, high-growth subsectors, and maximising the benefits of defence spending to local areas. Through initiatives like its apprenticeship programme, Navantia UK is helping strengthen the UK’s industrial base, enhance supply chain readiness, and develop the next generation of skilled workers.

Navantia UK currently employs over 1,050 people in highly skilled, high-value roles across its sites in Appledore, Arnish, Belfast and Methil. As work on the FSS programme accelerates, the company expects to recruit hundreds more employees in the coming years.

Helen McTokell, Apprenticeship and Training Manager at Navantia UK, said: “We’re proud to welcome our latest group of apprentices to Navantia UK. Each of our sites, whether focused on shipbuilding, fabrication, or energy manufacturing, plays an important role in building the skills and industrial strength that underpin the UK’s defence and engineering capability.

"Our apprentices are the future of this industry. By combining practical experience with formal training, we’re developing a diverse, sustainable workforce that can deliver complex projects like the Fleet Solid Support ships whilst projects across Navantia UK.”

As part of its commitment to create an additional 500 apprenticeships in the coming years, Navantia UK is planning to expand the programme beyond industrial disciplines to include business operations roles such as human resources, finance, and project management. This broader approach will ensure apprentices gain experience across every aspect of a modern shipbuilding and engineering business, creating pathways for a wider range of young professionals to develop long-term careers within the company.

Navantia UK’s training programmes are designed to strengthen the UK’s industrial base and ensure knowledge transfer from its global operations to local facilities. This approach supports skills growth and supply chain readiness across the UK, enabling participation in future defence and energy projects that will drive long-term economic growth from the Outer Hebrides to Devon.

James Rigby, Apprentice in Belfast, said: “I chose an apprenticeship because it’s a great qualification to have behind you and can open up many new career paths as you get older. Navantia UK stood out to me as a well-known company with excellent opportunities for work and development. From the start, I’ve found the supervisors and managers really supportive and always willing to help me reach my personal goals.

"I’m looking forward to learning more about welding, being part of the construction of the new FSS ships and developing into a skilled welder who can make a real contribution to the company.”

Lana Gilchrist, Apprentice in Methil, said: “I decided to choose an apprenticeship because it allows me to learn in the workplace and work directly towards my goal of becoming a welder. I first heard about Navantia UK through posters at college and then attended an open day, which confirmed it was the perfect place to start my career.

"My first impression was how friendly and helpful everyone is and I’m really looking forward to gaining my codings and working in the fabrication shops.”

Earlier this year, Navantia UK was named as one of the UK’s Top 100 apprenticeship employers by The Sunday Times.
following growth of an apprenticeship programme built over the last three years at Navantia UK’s four yards – Appledore, Arnish, Belfast and Methil.