Appledore Shipyard to host careers open days

The first steps to getting local workers back through the gates of Appledore Shipyard begins this week with two careers open days, says the North Devon Gazette.

New operator, InfraStrata, is hosting two events at the site for prospective employees on Thursday and Friday this week (September 10th and 11th).

InfraStrata has acquired the historic Appledore Shipyard in North Devon in a £7m deal following its acquisition of the famous Harland & Wolff Shipyard in Belfast last year, in a move to reinforce the company as a major player in the UK maritime and offshore engineering industry.

“We see Appledore playing a key role in an exciting new era for UK shipyards and shipbuilding, supporting UK industry and revitalising economic growth in the South West,” says InfraStrata CEO, John Wood.

John Wood, InfraStrata CEO

“Our vision is to transform it into a thriving centre of excellence that creates jobs, trains apprentices and re-establishes this country at the forefront of a new generation of shipyards.”

The highly strategic shipyard, known as Harland & Wolff (Appledore), is targeting five distinct sectors: defence, commercial, renewables, cruise and ferry, and oil and gas.

“We see enormous growth potential across all of these sectors. Globally, there is an estimated £6bn pipeline of opportunities over the next five years,” says Wood.

“There is also a large programme of sovereign new build smaller vessels planned over the next decade, ideally suited for Appledore, with its prime location and covered drydock and building hall.

“Brexit will provide increased opportunities and additional demand for home-based industries; as part of the Government’s levelling up agenda by investing in UK-wide regions along with the implementation of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, we see a large demand for home-built vessels post 2020.

“For decades our outdated and unwieldy shipyards have been in decline and have continued to deliver programs late, whilst overseas yards have led the way in productivity and efficiencies. This is a once in a lifetime chance to re-build, modernise and re-shape the industry with a new generation of shipyards, which can adapt, move quickly and utilise the expertise of a skilled and highly motivated workforce,” Wood says.

As part of its new remit, the shipyard will provide complete lifecycle management from technical services, fabrication and construction, to in-service support, repair and maintenance, and conversion all the way to decommissioning. It will also be able to accommodate other projects like steel fabrication for industry and construction.

The careers days are being held in readiness for ‘highly anticipated new contracts’ and says they will provide the opportunity to meet and speak with existing Harland & Wolff employees who can share their experiences.

The events will run from 9am on Thursday and 8am on Friday, until 6pm on both days, with one hour time slots that can be booked via the Harland & Wolff website.

Appledore shipyard was closed in March 2019 by previous owner Babcock after 164 years, with the loss of about 200 jobs.

Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox told the North Devon Gazette that an action plan is in motion and the purchase of the yard was an exciting new chapter in its history, which would create hundreds of new jobs in the South West and beyond.

“The shipbuilding industry is an integral part of UK manufacturing, sustaining thousands of high-skilled, well-paid jobs – and it is a central part of Britain’s proud history as a seafaring nation.

“It is critical, therefore, that there is a robust and ambitious plan for the sector, one which sees us designing and building more ships.

“I know that the Government’s Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance are already in talks to develop an export action plan, bringing together the DIT Marine, Renewables and Defence teams to provide bespoke support to Appledore, with a focus on offshore wind, ferries and fishing vessels. I will continue to support Infrastrata as they develop their business and realise the yard’s potential.”