Babcock International has welcomed 106 new starters to its extensive 330 acre Devonport based facility, the largest naval base in Western Europe. The 60 apprentices and 46 graduates secured their places on Babcock’s 2018 programmes after several rounds of demanding assessment centres, tests and interviews.
During their time with Babcock, apprentices have the opportunity to experience a range of roles from mechanical and electrical fitters to support engineers, fabricators and welders. Similarly, the graduates have joined as design engineers and project managers to support one of Babcock’s many teams.
The apprentices who study at Plymouth City College, have already attended a team building week on Dartmoor and worked on a number of exciting projects including building a model to support the Mayflower 2020 celebrations.
The graduates joined a rotation of placements across the dockyard to experience as many different aspects of their working environment as possible. This includes warships, submarines, innovative technology projects and initiatives, as well as corporate functions like HR, IT, Estates and Business Development.
The 2018 cohort have brought a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience to Babcock with some straight from school or college, whilst others have joined after further study or from industry.
Rebecca Page, Electrical Engineering Apprentice, said: “I spent some time at university studying psychology but I knew in my heart that it wasn’t what I wanted to do because a more hands on, practical based career had always appealed to me.
“I’m really enjoying the team work and the mathematical aspects of the job and I’m excited about building my career with Babcock. I’m so glad I made the change.”
Will Erith, MD Surface Ships, based at Devonport, welcomed the group and commented: “It is fantastic that we can welcome, invest in and support so many new starters during the UK’s Year of Engineering. Our highly sought after apprenticeships and graduate programmes attract a growing number of high calibre applicants every year.
“We are keen to harness their skills, capture their talent and build on their enthusiasm by offering a range of diverse, exciting and fulfilling careers with numerous developmental opportunities. A very warm welcome to everyone who has joined us.”
Babcock is proud to support the development of future talent through its apprentice and graduate programmes. Similarly, it supports the UK’s Year of Engineering, a government campaign to promote engineering to the next generation.
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