The planned funding release, which supports the building
phase of the programme, came as the Defence Secretary
unveiled a £25 million BAE Systems academy that will
upskill employees to work on Royal Navy submarines for the
next two decades.
The £400million investment will safeguard more than 8,000
jobs in Barrow and across the UK, which are all supported
by the £31billion Dreadnought programme and supply chain.
The announcement was made during the Defence Secretary’s
visit to BAE Systems’ site in Barrow-in-Furness, where he
also named the second Dreadnought submarine as HMS Valiant.
Defence Secretary said:
Next year marks half-a-century since British
nuclear-armed submarines began patrolling the waters in
response to the danger posed by the Cold War - and the
world is again facing a raft of intensifying threats.
This £400m investment will ensure the Dreadnought
programme remains on track, so we continue to have a
nuclear deterrent at sea for decades to come. Not only
does today’s news see us safeguard 8,000 jobs right now,
but I have also opened a brand new multi-million-pound
facility to train Britain’s submarine engineers of the
future.
The last vessel to carry the name HMS Valiant was the
second Royal Navy nuclear-powered submarine.
Launched in 1963, she took part in the Navy’s first
tactical exercise under the Arctic ice and played an
important role in the Falklands War, deterring the
Argentine surface fleet from closing the islands.
The latest investment comes after £960 million worth of
contracts were announced in May to ramp up the current
phase of construction for the UK’s four nuclear-armed
Dreadnought submarines.
Submarine Delivery Agency Chief Executive Ian Booth said:
The Academy for Skills and Knowledge is essential in
developing the vast range of talent in Barrow and ensures
that the workforce is equipped with the best possible
tools needed to meet the ever-growing demands placed on
the UK’s submarine construction industry.
The Submarine Academy for Skills and Knowledge will provide
around 2,500 people a month - including 600 apprentices
from across industry and the Ministry of Defence - with
invaluable skills and training to benefit the work carried
out on the Dreadnought and Astute submarine programmes.
Cliff Robson, Managing Director of BAE Systems Submarines,
said:
This is a fantastic facility that will provide a unique
environment in which to train our growing workforce. Our
investment in skills will not only ensure we have a
pipeline of world-class talent available to deliver our
complex programmes, but will also positively contribute
to the economic prosperity of the region and the UK’s
engineering industry.
The new academy will give our current and future
workforce access to the very latest in learning and
development, demonstrating our lasting commitment not
just to our current employees but to those who will join
our company in years to come.
Today’s funding announcement comes a year after the launch
of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which set out a
long-term plan to boost the productivity and earning power
of people throughout the UK.
It demonstrates how defence is building a Britain fit for
the future – how we will help businesses create better,
higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK with investment
in skills, industries and infrastructure.
